After crackdowns on VPNs, and reported slowdowns of the site it seems that Russian authorities have now fully stopped YouTube from working in the country.
The last remaining Western social media platform available in the country, its disappearance leaves those in Russia needing to use one of the best VPNs to keep up to date with the outside world.
In recent weeks a significant reduction in download speed on YouTube (believed by Google to be inflicted by Russia) had rendered the site difficult to use, but still somewhat functional. Now a significant and immediate drop in users reported by Netblocks (and anecdotal evidence from various news agencies) suggests that the site has been almost completely blocked.
Commenting on the original slowdown, Alexander Khinshtein, head of a parliamentary committee on information policy said it was "a necessary step, directed not against Russian users, but against the administration of a foreign resource that still believes it can violate and ignore our legislation without punishment".
How to access YouTube in Russia
With more and more internet restrictions in Russia, the case for a Russia VPN is becoming stronger and stronger.
By using a VPN, you can spoof your IP Address's location to appear as if you were accessing the internet from a completely different country and gain access to previously restricted services like YouTube. Simply download an app to your phone or computer, connect to a server outside of Russia and give it a go.
The difficulty in Russia is finding a service that works. The authorities have been cracking down on VPNs and last month they even had many removed from Apple's App Store. The good news is that there are several excellent free VPNs that you can test without charge, while the top premium providers normally have 30-day money-back guarantees.
You'll want to find a secure VPN with a reliable kill switch. This means that if your VPN connection drops mid-session, you won't get caught being on censored sites without protection.
