Russia reportedly blocks Bluesky amid widening internet restrictions
Summary
RKS Global says Roskomnadzor added Bluesky to Russia’s registry of banned websites. The agency has not publicly explained the move, which comes amid broader platform restrictions, efforts to limit VPN use, and mobile internet shutdowns.
Key points
- RKS Global told Recorded Future News that Roskomnadzor added Bluesky to its registry of banned websites; the regulator has not publicly explained the action.
- The reported move comes amid restrictions on foreign social media and messaging services, including Telegram and WhatsApp.
- RKS Global expert Aleksey Kozlyuk said users had turned to Bluesky as other platforms became harder to access.
- Bluesky remains accessible in Russia through VPNs, whose use the Kremlin has increasingly tried to restrict.
- Russian authorities continue intermittent mobile internet shutdowns in parts of the country, which officials describe as tied to security concerns.
Article Details
- Event Type
- Reported government blocking of the Bluesky social media platform in Russia as part of broader internet restrictions.
- Impact
- Access to Bluesky is reportedly restricted in Russia, though users can still reach it through VPNs. The article also reports restrictions on other foreign platforms and intermittent mobile internet shutdowns; Roskomnadzor has not publicly explained the Bluesky action.
People
Products
BlueskyRussia’s internet regulator Roskomnadzor reportedly added the decentralized social network Bluesky to its registry of banned websites, the latest step in a widening crackdown on foreign online services.Discord“The successive blocking of Discord, Signal, Viber, WhatsApp and now Telegram has pushed users toward alternative services that are still accessible — including Bluesky — and Roskomnadzor appears to have noticed this,”Signal“The successive blocking of Discord, Signal, Viber, WhatsApp and now Telegram has pushed users toward alternative services that are still accessible — including Bluesky — and Roskomnadzor appears to have noticed this,”TelegramThe block comes amid broader restrictions on Telegram, WhatsApp and other platforms, continued use of VPNs to bypass controls, and intermittent mobile internet shutdowns cited by the Kremlin for security reasons.ThreadsBluesky has about 43.7 million users — far fewer than Elon Musk-owned X or Meta’s Threads, which each have several hundred million monthly active users.Viber“The successive blocking of Discord, Signal, Viber, WhatsApp and now Telegram has pushed users toward alternative services that are still accessible — including Bluesky — and Roskomnadzor appears to have noticed this,”WhatsAppThe block comes amid broader restrictions on Telegram, WhatsApp and other platforms, continued use of VPNs to bypass controls, and intermittent mobile internet shutdowns cited by the Kremlin for security reasons.XBluesky itself has only a limited user base in Russia, mostly among people looking for alternatives after X — formerly Twitter — was blocked and other platforms became harder to access, said Aleksey Kozlyuk, an expert