Russia implements additional restrictions on internet access

Russian users can no longer access millions of major websites protected by Cloudflare, as local internet service providers (ISPs) have been throttling connections to a halt without any formal notice.

For the past few years, the Russian internet’s “Great Firewall” has limited access to foreign services and banned VPN connections to circumvent these restrictions. It now appears to have expanded to include Cloudflare-protected websites.

Since June 9th, 2025, Russian internet service providers (ISPs) have throttled connections to Cloudflare. The major content delivery company, which protects one-fifth of the global web, said that internet users in the country are unable to access any web assets.

“Internal data analysis suggests that the throttling allows internet users to load only the first 16KB of any web asset, rendering most web navigation impossible,” Cloudflare explains.

Cloudflare has not received any formal communication from Russian authorities. The tech giant is unable to restore reliable access to its products, as the restrictions are being applied outside of its control by local ISPs.

The company believes that the restrictions are consistent with the longstanding Russian effort to isolate its users from the global internet and reduce reliance on Western technology by replacing it with domestic alternatives. In May, Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened to throttle Western internet firms.

Mediazona reports that similar throttling is also being applied to other major cloud services in the US and Europe, such as Germany’s Hetzner and the US’s DigitalOcean.

The 16KB limit only allows very lightweight, basic websites to load.

All major ISPs in Russia, including but not limited to Rostelecom, Megafon, Vimpelcom, MTS, and MGTS, have been confirmed to be implementing disruptive actions. The throttling affects all connection methods and protocols.

The telemetry reveals a significant reduction in Cloudflare’s traffic in Russia. Once the 16KB of data, or 10 to 14 network packets, has been transmitted, ISPs in Russia block all subsequent connections, and many of the sent packets are lost.

VPNs, which are mostly banned in Russia, could help circumvent the restriction.

Cloudflare condemns Russia's efforts to limit access to a free and open internet and calls on users to “reach out and solicit Russian entities to lift” the measures. The company said it doesn’t have the ability to restore internet connectivity for Russia-based users.