The Russian authorities have no plans to restrict access to YouTube, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated on Friday, responding to rumors that the popular video-hosting service could soon be banned in the country.
Earlier in the day, Russia’s largest internet provider, Rostelecom, warned that users in Russia could soon experience noticeable slowdowns on YouTube due to technical issues related to parent company Google’s servers in the country. Rostelecom explained that this hardware has not been updated in over two years after the US-based tech giant limited its presence in Russia following the outbreak of the Ukraine conflict.
Soon thereafter, several Russian media outlets reported, citing anonymous sources supposedly close to the Kremlin, that YouTube would be completely blocked in the country by September.
Speaking to reporters, Peskov stressed that the government has no plans to block the online video-sharing service and that the slowdown is being caused by technical issues related to Google’s servers.
Asked by reporters if Moscow had considered contacting YouTube to remedy the issue, Peskov stated that Russian companies had probably already tried to reach out to the service.
“It was YouTube that took such a position with respect to our market, it was not we who initiated it,” the spokesman stressed, adding that “we can only regret this, but, of course, leaving this market has its technological consequences.”
The deputy head of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy, Anton Gorelkin, also stated in a post on Telegram that issues with the speed of service of YouTube in Russia are not occurring due to any decision made by the country’s regulator.
In 2022, several months after the outbreak of the Ukraine conflict, Google notified Russian internet service providers that it would terminate its contracts for servicing Google Global Cache servers located in the country.
The servers are used to speed up the loading of Google pages, including YouTube content, and reduce the amount of cross-border traffic by temporarily storing uploaded data, thus reducing the cost of network infrastructure.