At least 30 Russian regions have already begun providing access to internet resources through so-called “whitelists”, lists of websites that remain available even during internet shutdowns. This was reported by Novaya Europe, which compiled a map showing where and when the system began operating.
In five other Russian regions, the outlet says, residents themselves reported that such resources had started working. The mechanism is meant to preserve access to a limited set of websites in the event of a shutdown.
According to the report, the Russian authorities plan to review and update the list of resources available to citizens during outages every week. Digital Development Minister Maksut Shadayev described this process as an “updating” of the whitelist.
Shadayev said internet resources and services would be added to the list based on their popularity on the Russian internet.
According to data from the Digital Development Ministry, the lists already include Yandex services, the social networks VKontakte, Dzen, and Odnoklassniki, the marketplaces Yandex Market, Avito, Ozon, and Wildberries, as well as the telecom companies Megafon, VimpelCom, MTS, Rostelecom, and T2.
The list also includes the video platform RuTube, the state messenger MAX, the Gosuslugi public services portal, telecom operator websites, the websites of the government and the Russian presidential administration, and remote electronic voting resources, along with bank websites and the Mir payment system.
Novaya Europe notes that on September 10, the websites of the State Duma, the Prosecutor General’s Office, and the Emergency Ministry were also added. Telecom operators and internet providers may additionally modify the list themselves: for example, Megafon added the website of the retail chain Magnit.