What are website whitelists in Russia?
Website allowlists are lists of resources that remain accessible when all other sites are restricted or unavailable. In effect, this is the reverse logic of ordinary filtering: instead of blocking “bad” sites, the operator allows only those that were approved in advance.
In Russia, such lists have been actively discussed since 2022 and are periodically used during local shutdowns: for example, when mobile internet is turned off in some regions or cities. In normal operation, they are not used everywhere — this is an “emergency” access scenario, not permanent filtering.
For the user, it looks simple: some familiar services work, some do not — even without a VPN. Freedom Checker helps you understand which mode you are in.
In brief
- An allowlist is a list of permitted sites; everything else is unavailable.
- In Russia, it is applied selectively during shutdowns and local restrictions.
- It usually includes socially important sites, banks, and government services.
- With an allowlist, VPNs most often do not work either — filtering happens at the network level.
- Checks across different operators and regions help identify the mode.
What allowlists are and how they differ from ordinary filtering
Ordinary filtering works by a “blacklist”: there is a registry of banned resources, and everything else is accessible. An allowlist is the opposite principle: only what is on the list is allowed, and everything else is closed by default. This is a stricter mode used in special situations.
Why this mode is needed at all
The main stated goal is to preserve access to basic services under restrictions: banks, government services, emergency services, and operator support. At the same time, other traffic is restricted in order to reduce the load on the network or block unwanted resources entirely.
Which categories of sites usually get into the allowlist
In practice, socially important resources get in: Gosuslugi (Госуслуги), bank websites, large Russian marketplaces, major news resources, telecom operator websites, search engines, and payment services. The composition differs from region to region and from case to case.
How this differs from an ordinary block
With an ordinary block, the user sees an error only on specific sites. With an allowlist, it is the other way around: most sites and apps simply do not open, and only a narrow set of permitted ones works. This is immediately noticeable — because even third-party services that usually draw no complaints do not work.
How to tell that an allowlist has been enabled
| Symptom | Possible cause | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Only Gosuslugi, banks, and a couple of sites work | The operator has enabled allowlist mode | Open several different sites |
| VPN does not connect and does not work | Network-level filtering | Check whether foreign sites open |
| Telegram and messengers do not load media | Messenger servers are not on the allowlist | Compare with Wi-Fi from another operator |
| Sites open, but without images and video | External CDNs are cut off | Open the same site through another network |
| The situation is the same on several devices | The problem is in the network, not in the devices | Check availability through Freedom Checker |
How to check right now
The fastest way is to try opening several different sites and services. If only Gosuslugi, banks, and a couple of large Russian resources work, while everything else does not open even with a VPN — there is a high probability that you are under an allowlist scenario.
Freedom Checker shows site availability across different operators and regions. This helps identify who currently has restrictions enabled and whose internet is working in normal mode. This makes the boundaries of what is happening visible — whether it is local or widespread.
Outage or blocking?
The allowlist scenario is easy to confuse with a mass outage. In both cases, “nothing opens.” The difference is which services remain accessible. If a narrow set of government and banking sites works, and at the same time nothing works in the same way for different operators in one region — this looks like an emergency mode, not an infrastructure outage.
An outage usually affects a specific service or provider. Allowlists are the network in “selected only” mode. Checking across several operators and regions helps quickly distinguish one from the other.
What users should do
- Do not panic: the mode is temporary and is often linked to a local situation.
- Use permitted services — Gosuslugi, banks, and your telecom operator.
- Do not try to “urgently bring up” a VPN: with an allowlist, it often does not connect.
- Check availability through Freedom Checker for other operators and regions.
- Compare the situation on mobile and home internet, if possible.
- Remember that the situation may differ by operator, region, and time of checking.
Conclusion
Allowlists are not an everyday mode, but an emergency scenario in which only a narrow set of sites remains accessible. Most often, these are socially important resources: government services, banks, telecom operators, and large Russian platforms.
If sites have stopped opening for you, while some familiar ones still work, that is a reason to check what exactly is happening. Freedom Checker will show how local the restrictions are and which services are available through other operators.