To tell whether a website is being blocked in Russia or is simply unavailable, compare repeated tests from Russian networks with tests from outside Russia, then identify where each connection fails: DNS, TCP, TLS, or HTTP. A failure seen only on one Russian network is a clue, not proof; a similar failure across Russian and external networks may point to a service or routing problem.
Every result has a limited scope: it describes a particular destination, network, method, and moment. Stronger conclusions come from a recurring, target-specific pattern across multiple Russian providers, with successful control tests and enough detail for others to assess the evidence.
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How to test a website from inside and outside Russia
Use the same hostname, destination, protocol, and test window on both sides of the comparison. OONI Web Connectivity provides a useful model: it attempts a DNS lookup, a TCP/IP connection, and an HTTP GET from a local user’s network, then compares those results with a control network. The control is a comparator, not a perfect counterfactual: routes, DNS resolvers, peering, filtering, and network load can differ.
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- Test from Russian networks. Where possible, collect observations from more than one Russian provider and distinguish mobile data from fixed broadband or Wi-Fi. Record the provider or ASN and whether the test used IPv4 or IPv6, if known.
- Repeat the same tests externally. Run the same protocol-level checks close in time to the Russian tests. Record the control network and timestamp rather than reporting only that the site “worked abroad.”
- Record each stage separately. Note DNS answers, whether TCP connects, whether TLS starts and completes, and whether HTTP returns the expected content. Preserve the raw error or response class where possible.
- Repeat and compare. Look for a recurring difference specific to the target, not a single error. Include contradictory and unsuccessful observations when reporting the result.
OONI describes OONI Probe as “free and open source software” designed to measure forms of internet censorship, including website and app blocking. Its 25 September 2024 report said OONI had collected more than 2 billion measurements from 27 thousand distinct networks in 242 countries and territories since 2012; those are figures stated in that report, not a current total. See OONI’s guidance on interpreting measurements before treating an anomaly as a confirmed block.
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What the failure point can—and cannot—tell you
Different failure stages suggest different explanations. None, by itself, identifies who caused a failure. A normal DNS or TCP result followed by a TLS or HTTP problem narrows down where to investigate; it does not establish an actor or intent.
| Observed result | What it may indicate | What to check next |
|---|---|---|
| DNS returns no answer, an error, or an IP different from the controls | A DNS problem or possible DNS interference. Different answers can also be legitimate because resolvers and content-delivery networks may return geographically specific results. | Repeat with the same hostname, record which resolver was used, compare the returned addresses, and check whether TCP to the relevant destination succeeds. |
| DNS succeeds but TCP does not connect | A connection failure somewhere between the client and destination. It could reflect filtering, a routing problem, a destination issue, or transient network conditions. | Compare the same destination and time window on other Russian networks and external controls; do not infer a block from one failed connection. |
| TCP connects, but TLS times out or resets after ClientHello | A pattern consistent with TLS-level interference, particularly if it recurs for a target on several networks. It does not alone prove who is responsible. | Confirm that DNS and TCP succeeded, repeat the test, and check whether the same pattern appears on other Russian providers while controls complete TLS. |
| TLS completes, but HTTP fails or returns unexpected content | An HTTP-level problem, which could include a block page, application error, server response, or other failure. | Preserve the status code and response details; determine whether the response is a recognizable block fingerprint or an unexplained anomaly. |
| The service fails from Russian and external networks | Less specific evidence for Russia-specific filtering; a destination outage, routing fault, or shared upstream problem may explain the result. | Repeat over time and compare independent networks and destinations before attributing the failure. |
A differing DNS answer is not automatically tampering, and a successful external test does not prove Russian filtering: the two routes are not identical. Classify a result as confirmed blocking only when the evidence matches a sufficiently reliable blocking fingerprint; otherwise describe it as an anomaly that needs investigation.
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How to distinguish a local network problem from a broader pattern
Compare the target’s behavior with other evidence from the same network and time. If many unrelated destinations fail together, a general connectivity or routing issue becomes more plausible. If unrelated sites work while one target repeatedly fails at the same protocol stage on multiple Russian providers, that target-specific pattern is more informative. These comparisons strengthen or weaken an interpretation; they do not make it certain.
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- Broaden network coverage: test multiple providers or ASNs rather than treating one ISP as representative of the country.
- Repeat over time: distinguish a persistent pattern from a short-lived fault or a single anomalous probe.
- Report the denominator: state how many observations came from which networks and time period, not only the proportion that failed.
- Keep service type visible: identify mobile data, fixed broadband, or Wi-Fi; disruptions to one are not evidence that all internet access is unavailable.
Why a mobile outage is not necessarily a nationwide internet outage
Service type and geography matter. In reporting published on 22 November 2025, the Associated Press described mobile internet restrictions across Russian regions and everyday effects on services. The accounts discussed reported fixed broadband and Wi-Fi as unaffected. That reporting is evidence about the regions and event it covered, not a rule for every Russian region or later disruption. When a phone cannot reach a site, compare mobile data with fixed broadband or Wi-Fi before describing the problem as a general internet outage.
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What Russia measurements show, with dates and limits
Historical website-blocking analysis
OONI’s analysis of measurements collected from Russia between January 2022 and February 2023 identified blocking of 494 domains across 28 website categories. This is a result from that study period, not an exhaustive or current count of blocked domains. OONI noted that its analysis depended on community-curated URL lists, that coverage varied among websites and ASNs, and that it counted selected cases with sufficiently reliable blocking fingerprints. Read the 2023 Russia analysis with those limits in mind.
Recurring TLS failures affecting news media
OONI’s report covering September 2023 to September 2024 described a recurring pattern for 23 independent news media domains: DNS returned consistent IPs and TCP connections succeeded, while TLS often timed out or reset after ClientHello. OONI said this was consistent with TLS interference and suggested centrally managed TSPU enforcement as a possibility; that central attribution was a hypothesis, not a proven finding. The 2024 report on independent media provides the study’s dates and context.
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Telegram measurements in 2026
OONI’s Telegram analysis examined tests on 547 Russian ASes between 28 February and 30 March 2026. It reported rising anomalies around 15 March and a significant spike from 20 March, with resets or timeouts on HTTP GET requests to Telegram endpoints. OONI cautioned that coverage varied and the signal did not appear on every tested network. The 547 ASes describe measurement coverage, not a finding that all those networks blocked Telegram. See OONI Explorer’s Telegram findings.
Even measurement tools can be unreachable
OONI reported that Roskomnadzor notified it in September 2024 of a restriction on OONI Explorer. OONI later said it received notice dated 2 September 2025 that the authority had decided to unblock the platform, while its data still suggested access remained blocked on some Russian networks as of January 2026. This is a concrete example of why access status needs a date and network qualification; consult OONI Labs’ account of the Explorer restriction and unblocking notice.
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What to include when publishing a finding
A useful report lets readers distinguish an observed failure from an attribution. Include:
- the date and time window, including time zone where relevant;
- the exact target hostname or URL and protocol tested;
- the Russian providers or ASNs and external control networks represented;
- the service type and address family, if known;
- the number and distribution of observations, including failed and contradictory tests;
- the stage where the failure occurred and the raw error or response class;
- whether the finding matches a known, reliable block fingerprint or remains an unexplained anomaly.
This precision matters because uneven participation can skew results: a large number of observations from a few networks does not establish countrywide reachability. OONI’s interpretation guidance cautions against generalizing from one measurement on one network at one moment.
Which measurement tools can help?
OONI Probe is free, open-source software for conducting censorship measurements, and OONI Explorer displays measurement results. If Explorer is inaccessible on a particular Russian network, that itself is a reachability observation, not a reason to assume the data or tool is unavailable everywhere. RIPE Atlas can also provide network vantage points. A 2024 FOCI paper’s comparison listed OONI as supporting TCP, DNS, TLS, and HTTPS measurements, and RIPE Atlas as supporting DNS among the capabilities it compared. Those feature descriptions are from that paper and may not reflect later platform changes. Researchers can use complementary platforms when their measurement needs differ; the platform’s result still needs interpretation. See Kristoff et al., “Internet Sanctions on Russian Media: Actions and Effects”.
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