NetBlocks: Russia has blocked access to Twitter amid a broader crackdown on social media platforms in the country; Russians can still access Twitter via VPNs
Russia had already used platform-content demands to slow Twitter over thousands of allegedly illegal posts and threaten a full block. The reported restriction marks an escalation from throttling to access control, while VPN availability leaves a route around the restriction for some users.
Related coverage then places Twitter within a wider enforcement push: leading providers restricted Twitter and Facebook, and Roskomnadzor formally blocked Facebook. That progression matters because enforcement is moving beyond a dispute with one service toward control at the network-provider level.
First-order effects
Russian Twitter users lose ordinary direct access, while users able to use VPNs retain a bypass route.
Twitter's service in Russia becomes dependent on Russian network providers' enforcement rather than the platform's own content decisions.
Second-order effects
Russia's leading internet providers face pressure to apply comparable restrictions across major social platforms, as reflected in the subsequent restrictions on both Twitter and Facebook.
VPNs become a more important access channel for Russian users seeking blocked platforms, splitting access between users who can deploy them and those who cannot.
Third-order effects
If provider-level blocks continue, Russia's leverage over information access shifts from platform-specific moderation disputes to control of network routing and availability.
The later rerouting of traffic through domestic networks in occupied Ukrainian territories points to a broader model in which network infrastructure is used to enforce information controls across territories.
The trend: Russia's social-platform enforcement is evolving from demands and throttling toward provider-level access controls, with VPNs serving as a partial countermeasure.
I believe social media will be the root of Putin's defeat in Ukraine. The world being able to see events from the Ukrainians without the sanitization of BBC/CNN news reports is building an unprecedented level@of support. Both boosting Ukrainian morale & forcing US/EU to act.
In Russia, a planned partial Facebook shutdown; Twitter appears to be shut in Moscow too; media watchdog on a warpath against any media reporting anything from non-state sources about this conflict. Russia is being cut off from the truth https://twitter.com/...
#Russia blocks #Twitter as Ukraine invasion escalates: ➡️ Leading internet providers impacted ➡️Circumvention remains possible via VPN services per @netblocks via @TheVerge https://www.theverge.com/...
The Kremlin has now blocked access to Twitter in Russia and @AlpToker has also confirmed that it is also blocking Facebook Messenger https://www.vice.com/...
Russia has blocked access to Twitter in an apparent effort to stifle the flow of information as it invades Ukraine. Twitter has been full of shocking images from the conflict, including a video showing a Russian missile striking an apartment tower https://www.theverge.com/...
Russia begins to restrict/block Facebook. Under the pretext of “protecting local media”. Facebook allegedly “violated the rights and freedoms of Russian citizens” and allegedly it reported “23 cases of censorship since October 2020”. https://rkn.gov.ru/... https://twitter.com/...
1) It's appropriate for American companies to pick sides in geopolitical conflicts, and this should be an easy call. 2) A more neutral standard would be to block state media from countries that block your platform. In either case, the RT Cinematic Universe should be banned. https…
“Ordinary Russians” do deserve the right to express themselves freely across social media. But Facebook spent years profiting off of Russian disinformation, fake accounts, and bot networks. Facebook played a role in how we got here today. https://twitter.com/...
The tension btw rule enforcement and govt blocking that disrupts info flow for millions is extremely difficult for social media companies to navigate. I've made the case to enforce regardless of pushback risk (& won). It's a position, like the others, w/ major downsides. https://…