Russian providers have stopped connecting WhatsApp without a VPN: access to the service has been cut off at the level of domain records in the state DNS infrastructure.
Russian providers have stopped connecting WhatsApp without a VPN: access to the service has been cut off at the level of domain records in the state DNS infrastructure.
According to the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security, the WhatsApp domain has been removed from the National Domain Name System (NDNS) records used by Russian telecom operators. As a result, networks relying on this system are unable to correctly obtain a DNS response for the service, making the app and web version inaccessible without workarounds such as VPNs or alternative DNS resolvers.
Some Russian media outlets are also reporting that the Facebook and Instagram domains have also disappeared from the NSDI. These platforms were previously banned in Russia, but this is a more stringent scenario: not traffic filtering, but the removal or replacement of DNS records, which makes access difficult for the mass user and reduces the load on blocking systems.
Against the backdrop of the WhatsApp story, users are also complaining about the deterioration of Telegram’s performance: media files are loading more slowly, there are delays in message delivery, and even small photo transfers sometimes fail. The Russian authorities publicly justify the pressure on foreign services by saying that they do not comply with the requirements of «landing» and data storage within the country.
The NSDI is part of the infrastructure of the «sovereign Runet» and allows for centralized influence on how providers resolve domains. The transition to DNS restrictions allows for the rapid shutdown of popular services for a wide audience while simultaneously pushing users to state-controlled alternatives, including the Max messenger, which the Russian government promotes as national.
Previously, dev.ua wrote about how Russian media reported that the regulator for supervision in the field of communications, information technologies and mass communications, Roskomnadzor, had completely blocked the YouTube service in Russia.
