If your website loads for you but visitors from Russia cannot reach it, first check whether it appears in the register of restricted resources. A site blocked by Roskomnadzor stays unreachable across most Russian ISPs while working fine from other networks. Verify your domain and IP in the EAIS register, separate a block from a hosting or DNS failure, and file an appeal for removal.
This guide is for site owners and webmasters: how, within the framework of Federal Law 149-FZ, to diagnose why a resource is unreachable in Russia, confirm the block, find the legal grounds in the register, and file a step-by-step appeal to Roskomnadzor for unblocking. It covers only lawful diagnostics and defending the owner's rights — with no circumvention or VPN.
What «blocked in Russia» actually means
A block is a restriction of access to a resource imposed by telecom operators at the demand of Roskomnadzor under Article 15.1 and related articles of Federal Law No. 149-FZ «On Information, Information Technologies and Information Protection». The grounds may be a court decision, a demand from an authorised body (Prosecutor General's Office, consumer or tax authority, police, the digital ministry), or inclusion of material in one of the registers. Technically, ISPs filter traffic by domain name, URL, or IP address, so the same site can be reachable through one provider and blocked through another.
It is important to understand that not every outage is a block. Far more often the cause is an expired SSL certificate, a downed host, a DNS error, or a network glitch at a specific operator. Before writing to Roskomnadzor, you must pin down the nature of the problem.
How to check whether your site is blocked
It is convenient to run the check in stages, from the quickest to the deepest. First make sure the resource is unreachable specifically from Russia rather than down entirely.
- Check the RKN register. Use the free Roskomnadzor block check on our service — the RKN blocking checker. It matches your domain, subdomains, and IP against several exports of the restricted-sites register and shows whether there is a hit.
- Official register. Verify the domain and IP at blocklist.rkn.gov.ru and in the unified register eais.rkn.gov.ru. There you can see the fact of inclusion and the type of restriction.
- Availability check. Make sure the server responds at all: use the HTTP header checker to see the status code and headers, and confirm the host answers and port 443 is open.
- Compare networks. If the site opens from abroad but not from Russia while the server responds normally, that is an indirect sign of network filtering rather than a failure.
How to tell a block from a hosting or DNS failure
The symptoms of a block and ordinary technical failures often look alike: the site «won't load». But the diagnostics differ. Below is a table of typical signs and ways to verify them.
| Sign | RKN block | Hosting failure | DNS problem |
|---|---|---|---|
| How it appears | Unreachable only from Russia, works from abroad; often an ISP stub page | Unreachable everywhere; a 5xx error or timeout | «DNS address could not be found», site resolves nowhere |
| Server response | Server answers on a direct request by IP | Server does not answer, port is closed | IP does not resolve, ping by domain fails |
| How to check | EAIS register, /en/rkn check, comparing availability across networks | Ping and ports, HTTP code, hosting panel | Check A/NS records, domain whois |
| Whom to contact | Roskomnadzor (appeal for removal) | Hosting provider, server support | Domain registrar, DNS administrator |
If diagnostics show the server responds and port 443 is open, yet the site is unreachable from Russia, a block is likely. If the server is silent everywhere, the problem is on the hosting or DNS side, and Roskomnadzor has nothing to do with it.
A special case: IP blocking on shared hosting
The most frustrating situation is when your site is restricted through no fault of your own. With IP-address blocking, every resource on the same server falls under the filter. If a neighbour on shared hosting broke the law and their IP was added to the register, your law-abiding site becomes unreachable «by association». Check whether the blocked IP matches your server's address, and if so, discuss an IP change or a move to a dedicated address with your host, while in parallel filing an appeal about the incorrect block.
How to find the grounds in the EAIS register
Before filing an appeal, determine the legal grounds. In the unified register eais.rkn.gov.ru you can look up your domain or URL and see the number and date of the decision, the body that issued it, and the register type (restricted information, extremism, copyright infringement, and so on). This is key information — the grounds determine where and how to appeal.
- Court decision — challenged or complied with through the court; after the violation is fixed, an application for removal is filed.
- Demand from an authorised body — the appeal goes both to that body and to Roskomnadzor.
- Erroneous inclusion or IP block — an appeal directly to Roskomnadzor with justification.
How to file an unblocking appeal
If the grounds are known and the violation is fixed (or the block is erroneous), the owner is entitled to file an appeal for removal from the register. Follow these steps.
- Fix the cause. Remove or restrict access to the disputed material if there was any. Document it with screenshots and dates.
- Gather the data. Domain, IP, register entry number, the grounds and body from EAIS, and proof of your right to the domain (whois data, registrar contract).
- Fill in the electronic form. Submit the appeal through the Roskomnadzor electronic appeals form. Clearly state the domain, the essence of the problem, that the violation is fixed, and attach evidence.
- Wait for a response. Under the law on citizens' appeals, the review period is up to 30 days. In practice, removal from the register after confirmed remediation often happens faster.
- Verify the result. After the reply, re-check the domain via the blocking checker and the EAIS register. Keep in mind that telecom operators need time to lift the filter.
An appeal is not an admission of guilt but the owner's exercise of the right to defend a lawful resource. Write in a businesslike tone, cite specific register entries, and reference the attached evidence.
Prevention and monitoring
So you do not learn about a block from your customers, set up regular diagnostics. It helps to check the domain in the register periodically, watch server availability from Russian networks, and keep SSL and DNS in order so a technical failure is not mistaken for a block. If you are on shared hosting, ask your provider how quickly they can change the IP during a neighbour's incident.
- Regularly check the domain and IP in the RKN blocking checker.
- Keep your host's and registrar's contacts handy — during an outage, time is critical.
- Watch SSL validity and the correctness of DNS records.
- Consider a dedicated IP if your business is availability-critical.
For more on the mechanics of restrictions, read how Roskomnadzor blocking works; on the check itself, how to check RKN blocking; and on general availability diagnostics, website availability from Russia.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I quickly tell whether a site is blocked or simply down?
Check the domain and IP in the EAIS register and via the free /en/rkn check. If there are no hits and the server does not answer to ping and ports from anywhere, it is a hosting or DNS failure, not a block. A block usually shows as unreachability only from Russian networks while the server stays alive and answers by direct IP.
How long does an unblocking appeal take to review?
The official review period for an appeal is up to 30 calendar days under the law on citizens' appeals. In practice, when remediation is confirmed or the error is obvious, removal from the register happens faster. After the entry is lifted, telecom operators still need some time to update their filters.
My site was blocked because of a hosting neighbour. What do I do?
That is a block by a shared IP address on shared hosting. Check whether the blocked IP matches your server. Ask your hosting provider to change the IP or move the site to a dedicated address, and file an appeal to Roskomnadzor explaining that your resource does not break the law and fell under the filter by mistake.
Do I have to go to court to unblock a site?
Not always. If the grounds were an error or an IP block, an appeal to Roskomnadzor is enough. If the resource was included by a court decision, then after fixing the violation you file an application for removal, and if you disagree with the decision itself, it can be challenged in court within the set deadlines.
Is it legal to check my own site's block myself?
Yes. Checking a domain and IP in the open EAIS registers and through diagnostic services is a lawful activity of the owner within 149-FZ. It is about diagnosing the availability of your own resource, not circumventing restrictions. This guide does not cover circumvention or the use of VPNs for that purpose.