YouTube Access Restored in Russia Following Putin's Remark

With a single remark from Russian President Vladimir Putin saying he would "look into it," YouTube access and playback in Russia have been 'normalized.'

On the 15th (local time), the Russian daily Kommersant reported that YouTube is being serviced without restrictions across all mobile networks in Russia.

Since last summer, YouTube access in Russia had often been poor, and videos frequently failed to play. Afterward, people in Russia had to use virtual private networks (VPNs) to watch YouTube. However, on this day in Moscow, videos that had not played previously were accessible on YouTube without the use of VPNs.

On the 13th, Russian President Putin and Karen Shakhnazarov, head of Mosfilm, having a meeting at the Kremlin. Photo by Yonhap News

Russian media focused on remarks made by Karen Shakhnazarov, head of Mosfilm, Russia's largest film studio, who met with President Putin at the Kremlin on the 13th.

In an interview with the state broadcaster Rossiya 1 on the 14th, Shakhnazarov revealed that he had raised the issue of YouTube restrictions with President Putin. He explained to Putin, "Of course, there are bad things there (on YouTube), but many people are circumventing the restrictions and using it," adding, "Many citizens watch movies on YouTube." He further stated, "After listening carefully to me, President Putin said, 'I will investigate this.'"

Previously, Russia had explained YouTube's "connection problems" as a "hardware issue" with Google's parent company. However, AFP reported that many believe the Russian authorities are behind the problem, given the long-standing conflicts between Russia and Google.

YouTube blocked channels of Russia's pro-government media following Russia's special military operation in Ukraine in February 2022.

Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesperson, confirmed at a briefing on the 15th that President Putin is investigating the YouTube speed issues but emphasized, "This issue is not high on people's agenda." He also added that Google's failure to comply with Russian laws is related to the YouTube speed problems.