How to check whether a specific website is blocked in Russia
To understand whether a specific site is blocked in Russia, it is not enough to simply open it and see an error. A site may be temporarily unavailable with one operator, work with another, break because of DNS, or simply be down for reasons unrelated to blocking.
That is why the correct answer always has two parts: the formal one — whether the site is in the Roskomnadzor register, and the factual one — whether it opens right now with different operators and in different regions. Without the second part, the first explains little: sometimes a site is not in the register, but is still unavailable because of traffic filtering.
Freedom Checker helps quickly cover the second part — to see the site's real availability through several channels at once, without having to manually go through operators.
In short
- The Roskomnadzor register shows only formally blocked resources.
- A site can be unavailable even without an entry in the register — because of filtering or an outage.
- The main test is to check availability with different operators and in different regions.
- An outage is usually temporary and widespread; a block is persistent and depends on the operator.
- Freedom Checker performs this check automatically.
Ways to check
There are several levels of site checking. Each answers its own question, and together they give the full picture: formal status, technical availability, and the nature of a possible block.
Checking the Roskomnadzor register
The official list of blocked resources is maintained by Roskomnadzor. By address or domain, you can check whether the site is included in the register of prohibited information. This answers only the formal question: whether there is a decision to restrict access. Check details are on the eais.rkn.gov.ru website.
Checking through several operators
If the site is not in the register, but it does not open, it is worth checking it through several operators. One may filter traffic more strictly, another more lightly, and a third may not filter at all. If the site is unavailable everywhere, that is closer to an outage. If only one operator has the problem, it looks like local filtering.
Checking from different regions
Routing and restrictions can differ from region to region. The same site may open in Moscow and fail to open in Siberia or the Far East. A regional check helps determine whether this is a local issue or a Russia-wide one.
Checking with and without a VPN
A simple control test: if the site opens through a VPN but does not open without it, that looks like an access restriction. If it does not open either with or without a VPN, the problem may be with the site itself, its server, or DNS.
How to understand what exactly broke
| Symptom | Possible cause | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| The site does not open; the request times out | IP blocking or traffic filtering | Whether it opens through a VPN |
| Provider block page saying “access restricted” | Formal blocking through the register | Check the domain in the Roskomnadzor register |
| “Could not resolve address” error | DNS blocking or DNS server failure | Change DNS, check other sites |
| The site opens, but not completely | Partial content filtering | Open the mobile and desktop versions |
| It works with one operator, but not with another | Different filtering policies | Check availability with several operators |
| It does not work for anyone — even with a VPN | Failure of the site itself | Wait and check later |
How to check right now
Freedom Checker does what is hard for an ordinary user to do manually: it checks a site through several operators and regions at once. The result shows which users, and where exactly, can open the site without problems, and which ones get an error.
This is useful when you need to quickly understand the nature of the problem. You see that the site is unavailable for everyone — that is an outage. You see that one operator lets it through, while another does not — that already looks like filtering. You see that it does not open only for you — the issue is in the local network, DNS, or provider.
Outage or blocking?
An outage and a block look similar, but behave differently. An outage is usually short-lived, the symptoms are the same for all users regardless of operator, and after some time the site returns to normal by itself. This applies both to the site's internal infrastructure and to incidents at major hosting providers.
Blocking is persistent and depends on the operator and network. The same site may be unavailable through a home provider and open normally through a mobile network — or the other way around. Often only changing the network or turning on a VPN helps. The decisive sign is stability of behavior over time.
What the user should do
- Check the domain in the Roskomnadzor register — this is the formal status.
- Try opening the site through mobile internet and through home internet.
- Change DNS to a public one — for example, to an operator DNS or an independent one.
- Check the site through a VPN to understand whether it works in principle.
- Compare behavior with several operators through Freedom Checker.
- Remember that the situation may differ by operator, region, and time of checking.
Conclusion
Whether a site is blocked or not is not a single answer, but the sum of several checks. The Roskomnadzor register answers the formal question; checking through different operators answers the factual one. Only together do they show the full picture.
Freedom Checker helps do the practical part quickly: you see with whom and where the site opens, and you can distinguish a real block from an ordinary outage.