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Glossary · Circumvention

Roskomnadzor

Also calledrussia censorshiprkn
Definition

Roskomnadzor is Russia's federal regulator for communications and media; it keeps the register of banned websites that Russian internet providers must block.

Explanation

In depth

Its full name is the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media. Sites on its register must be made unreachable by Russian ISPs. Its record shows both the reach and the cost of blocking. On 16 April 2018 it ordered ISPs to block Telegram. When Telegram moved onto Amazon and Google cloud addresses, Roskomnadzor blocked those as well; Meduza reported that its blacklist reached about 20 million IP addresses on 17 April, and unrelated websites and apps failed across Russia. Telegram stayed usable for many people, and Roskomnadzor lifted the block on 18 June 2020. In March 2022 it blocked Instagram. More recent measures target features instead of whole services: on 13 August 2025 it said it was partially limiting voice calls on WhatsApp and Telegram, citing fraud and extortion. Its own register lookup, blocklist.rkn.gov.ru, did not answer our requests from outside Russia on 15 October 2026. Using circumvention tools in Russia carries legal risk; check current law before relying on one.

In practice

Roskomnadzor in the real world

The Telegram episode is the clearest public example of IP blocking going wrong: millions of cloud addresses shared with other companies were blocked to stop one app, and the app kept working. For people outside Russia the regulator is hard to observe directly. On 15 October 2026 blocklist.rkn.gov.ru timed out through AnyProxy's Frankfurt server and from our own non-proxy connection; we could not tell whether it filters foreign visitors or was simply down.

Sources: Meduza - Russia's censor blocks millions of IP addresses chasing Telegram (17 Apr 2018) · Meduza - Russia unblocks Telegram (18 Jun 2020) · TechCrunch - Instagram is now blocked in Russia (14 Mar 2022) · Zona - Russia partially limits WhatsApp and Telegram calls (13 Aug 2025)

We checked

Roskomnadzor's register, opened from outside Russia (15 Oct 2026)

AnyProxy timeout page saying blocklist.rkn.gov.ru is slow to respond, through the Frankfurt server

Open Roskomnadzor's register lookup, blocklist.rkn.gov.ru

Did not work · FR exit · 2026-10-15

AnyProxy's 'slow to respond' timeout page. The same address also timed out from our own non-proxy connection (outside Russia) on 15 Oct 2026, so this is not a proxy fault; we cannot tell whether the site filters foreign visitors or was down.

Questions about Roskomnadzor

Why did blocking Telegram break other sites in 2018?
Telegram moved to Amazon and Google cloud addresses that many other services share. Blocking millions of those addresses cut off unrelated apps and websites, while Telegram itself stayed usable for many people.
Was the Telegram ban ever lifted?
Yes. Roskomnadzor lifted it on 18 June 2020, about two years after it began, saying Telegram had agreed to help with extremism investigations.
Can I check whether a site is on Russia's register?
Roskomnadzor offers a lookup at blocklist.rkn.gov.ru. On 15 October 2026 it timed out for us from Frankfurt and from a connection outside Russia, so it may only be usable from inside the country.
See alsoUnblock sites from Russia

Related terms

GFW (Great Firewall of China)The Great Firewall is the filtering system on mainland China's international internet links that stops people inside China from reaching blocked foreign sites and apps.DPI (Deep Packet Inspection)Deep packet inspection (DPI) is network equipment that looks beyond a packet's addresses into its contents and patterns, to recognise and block or slow specific sites and apps.KominfoKominfo was Indonesia's Ministry of Communication and Information Technology; renamed Komdigi in October 2024, it still runs the national website blocklist.PTA (Pakistan Telecommunication Authority)The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) is Pakistan's telecom regulator; it orders internet providers to block websites and apps, usually at the government's direction.

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