Access to several major international online platforms has become unavailable in Russia after their domains were reportedly removed from the country’s national Domain Name System (DNS).

Since yesterday, users inside Russia have been unable to reach services including WhatsApp, YouTube, Instagram and Facebook, The Caspian Post reports, citing rzn.info.

Unlike previous restrictions that involved slowing down traffic, the current measure renders the platforms effectively “invisible.” When users attempt to access these sites, their systems are unable to determine the corresponding IP addresses, resulting in error messages indicating that the domains do not exist.

In addition to these platforms, access has also been cut off to websites and services such as BBC, Deutsche Welle, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, the anonymous Tor Browser, and the social network Instagram, among others, according to Russian media.

Russian internet providers are required to use the National Domain Name System, which is overseen by Roskomnadzor under the country’s “sovereign internet” law. Authorities have also steadily limited the use of alternative DNS services, such as Google DNS, since 2021.

The latest move marks a significant escalation in internet controls, effectively preventing users from accessing a wide range of foreign-based digital platforms and media outlets.