YouTube speeds in Russia may soon be significantly slower as Google’s servers will soon be removed from its Russian data centers.
The move is expected to significantly reduce YouTube’s quality and speed, but Russian authorities say it is due to sanctions imposed in response to Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, which have made it impossible for Google to legally fund its server infrastructure inside Russia.
On July 26, Alexander Khinshtein, chairman of the Russian State Duma’s Committee on Information Policy, Information Technologies and Communications, claimed that Russian data centers had stopped cooperating with the tech giant because the company was using “gray and semi-criminal mechanisms” to manage server payments. The disruptions could lead to a 70% drop in YouTube loading speeds.
“The future fate of YouTube in Russia rests in Google’s hands,” Kinshtein wrote on his Telegram channel.
Politicians have proposed two strategies for the company to solve the speed problem: first, to set up its own data centers in the country and establish a representative office there, and second, to negotiate with the US government to explore the possibility of lifting sanctions.
He also urged the company to comply with Russian law, especially in relation to so-called special military operations, and called on YouTube to comply with orders from Russia’s media watchdog, Roskomnadzor, and unblock channels of Russian media, bloggers and public figures.
There are growing concerns that these measures are a precursor to a complete block of YouTube in Russia, with local media reporting that access to the platform could be restricted as early as September. While the Kremlin has officially denied plans to restrict YouTube, some believe the current slowdowns are a deliberate policy.