Russia admits to slowing YouTube speeds for refusing to comply with ‘legislation’

Russian authorities admitted on Thursday that they are deliberately slowing YouTube loading speeds in response to Google’s refusal to comply with Russian tech regulations.

By the end of this week, YouTube download speeds on desktop computers in Russia may drop by 40%, and by the end of next week by 70%, according to Russian lawmaker Alexander Khinshtein, who is responsible for the country’s information policy. This slowdown would not affect YouTube on mobile phones “for now,” he added.

Khinshtein’s statement followed complaints from Russian users and experts about recent disruptions to Google-owned video-sharing service. Some speculated that Russia is preparing to ban YouTube in the country.

Earlier in June, the Kremlin dismissed this speculation, blaming the disruptions on “technical issues with Google Global Cache equipment,” which allows local internet providers to serve certain Google content from within their own networks.

Russian authorities said that Google hasn’t updated this equipment over the past two years,  causing some of the servers to deteriorate. Local media reported that Google had indeed stopped supporting its servers in Russia due to sanctions imposed after Moscow invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

This week, however, Russian authorities admitted that the actions against YouTube in the country are deliberate.

“The future of YouTube in Russia depends solely on itself. If it doesn’t change its policy and doesn’t begin to comply with our laws, nothing good awaits it here,” Khinshtein said, adding that Russia is “actively developing” its own alternative platform, including Rutube and VK Video.

He said that Russia’s latest decision to slow down YouTube speed was caused by the platform’s “anti-Russian policy.”

“It consistently removes the channels of our public figures — bloggers, journalists, artists — whose position differs from the Western point of view,” Khinshtein added. He also blamed YouTube for “violating and ignoring” Russia’s legislation.

Khinshtein said that the quality of video on YouTube has already become worse for some users due to the latest measures. The country’s telecom authorities chose summer to slow down YouTube since “the majority of people are on vacation and use mobile devices to access the internet.”

“The degradation of YouTube will not affect them in any way, but the platform itself will see that the state has moved from persuasion to concrete steps,” Khinshtein added.

The measure against YouTube is one of Russia’s latest steps to isolate its internet from the rest of the world. Earlier this month, Russian telecom regulator Roskomnadzor reportedly requested U.S. tech giant Apple to remove dozens of virtual private network (VPN) services from the Russian version of the App Store.

The reason cited for the removal was noncompliance with local legal requirements, specifically referencing content considered illegal in Russia.

The Kremlin has long wanted to create its own internet, often referred to as the Runet, which would work independently from the rest of the world and comply with Russian laws.

The last three years have made its ambitions more attainable, as many Western tech giants, including Apple, Microsoft and Google have suspended or restricted their services in the country, urging users and businesses to switch to Russian alternatives.