The Russian government plans to block YouTube in September, the Russian pro-state outlet Gazeta.ru reported on July 12, citing a source close to the Presidential Administration and a source in a company that collects data for law enforcement agencies.
The news comes as Rostelecom, the country's leading telecommunications provider, said there are "technical problems with Google's equipment" which may "affect the download speed and quality of YouTube videos."
"Things will get worse in July and August, meaning that YouTube functionality will worsen in some regions," Gazeta.ru's source close to the Presidential Administration reportedly said.
"And in September, the blocking (of YouTube) will start." Gazeta.ru's second source also confirmed that there are plans to block the website in the fall.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov denied the supposed plans to restrict the website, saying that according to "official statements from relevant companies," the equipment in question has "not been updated for over two years."
An undisclosed source told the independent outlet Meduza that Rostelecom's explanation is merely an "attempt to shift responsibility" and that the government has been deliberately slowing down the site since July 11.
Meduza's source added that Roskomnadzor, the country's censorship agency, has tools to "throttle traffic" on its own.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims.
With 93 million Russian users, YouTube has been dubbed the country's "last bastion of free expression and information" amid a sweeping government crackdown on the information space.
As the Kremlin intensified its pressure against the site to block "undesirable" content like anti-war videos, observers said that the site's complete ban is only a "matter of time."
Daryna Shevchenko
(Updated: )
