# Censorship detected in RU

**Country:** 🇷🇺 Russia (RU)
**Date:** 2026-08-12
**Type:** Censorship
**Severity:** CRITICAL
**Status:** suspected

## Summary

None

## Metrics

- Confidence: 89%
- Measurements: 17
- Anomaly Rate: 97.0%

## Evidence

- **OONI** (measurement): OONI signal: 495/613 measurements anomalous (80.8%)
  - Observed: 2026-08-12
  - Confidence: 82%
  - [OONI Explorer (independently verifiable)](https://explorer.ooni.org/search?probe_cc=RU&test_name=signal&since=2026-08-12&until=2026-08-13&only=anomalies)
- **OONI** (measurement): OONI whatsapp: 332/406 measurements anomalous (81.8%)
  - Observed: 2026-08-12
  - Confidence: 83%
  - [OONI Explorer (independently verifiable)](https://explorer.ooni.org/search?probe_cc=RU&test_name=whatsapp&since=2026-08-12&until=2026-08-13&only=anomalies)
- **OONI** (measurement): OONI telegram: 342/398 measurements anomalous (85.9%)
  - Observed: 2026-08-12
  - Confidence: 84%
  - [OONI Explorer (independently verifiable)](https://explorer.ooni.org/search?probe_cc=RU&test_name=telegram&since=2026-08-12&until=2026-08-13&only=anomalies)
- **OONI** (measurement): OONI facebook_messenger: 334/666 measurements anomalous (50.2%)
  - Observed: 2026-08-12
  - Confidence: 70%
  - [OONI Explorer (independently verifiable)](https://explorer.ooni.org/search?probe_cc=RU&test_name=facebook_messenger&since=2026-08-12&until=2026-08-13&only=anomalies)
- **OONI** (measurement): OONI tor: 366/381 measurements anomalous (96.1%)
  - Observed: 2026-08-12
  - Confidence: 88%
  - [OONI Explorer (independently verifiable)](https://explorer.ooni.org/search?probe_cc=RU&test_name=tor&since=2026-08-12&until=2026-08-13&only=anomalies)
- **OONI** (measurement): OONI signal: 560/687 measurements anomalous (81.5%)
  - Observed: 2026-08-12
  - Confidence: 83%
  - [OONI Explorer (independently verifiable)](https://explorer.ooni.org/search?probe_cc=RU&test_name=signal&since=2026-08-12&until=2026-08-13&only=anomalies)
- **OONI** (measurement): OONI whatsapp: 375/459 measurements anomalous (81.7%)
  - Observed: 2026-08-12
  - Confidence: 83%
  - [OONI Explorer (independently verifiable)](https://explorer.ooni.org/search?probe_cc=RU&test_name=whatsapp&since=2026-08-12&until=2026-08-13&only=anomalies)
- **OONI** (measurement): OONI telegram: 388/449 measurements anomalous (86.4%)
  - Observed: 2026-08-12
  - Confidence: 85%
  - [OONI Explorer (independently verifiable)](https://explorer.ooni.org/search?probe_cc=RU&test_name=telegram&since=2026-08-12&until=2026-08-13&only=anomalies)
- **OONI** (measurement): OONI tor: 420/435 measurements anomalous (96.6%)
  - Observed: 2026-08-12
  - Confidence: 89%
  - [OONI Explorer (independently verifiable)](https://explorer.ooni.org/search?probe_cc=RU&test_name=tor&since=2026-08-12&until=2026-08-13&only=anomalies)
- **OONI** (measurement): OONI signal: 500/622 measurements anomalous (80.4%)
  - Observed: 2026-08-12
  - Confidence: 82%
  - [OONI Explorer (independently verifiable)](https://explorer.ooni.org/search?probe_cc=RU&test_name=signal&since=2026-08-12&until=2026-08-13&only=anomalies)
- **OONI** (measurement): OONI whatsapp: 347/427 measurements anomalous (81.3%)
  - Observed: 2026-08-12
  - Confidence: 83%
  - [OONI Explorer (independently verifiable)](https://explorer.ooni.org/search?probe_cc=RU&test_name=whatsapp&since=2026-08-12&until=2026-08-13&only=anomalies)
- **OONI** (measurement): OONI telegram: 365/415 measurements anomalous (88.0%)
  - Observed: 2026-08-12
  - Confidence: 85%
  - [OONI Explorer (independently verifiable)](https://explorer.ooni.org/search?probe_cc=RU&test_name=telegram&since=2026-08-12&until=2026-08-13&only=anomalies)
- **OONI** (measurement): OONI tor: 393/416 measurements anomalous (94.5%)
  - Observed: 2026-08-12
  - Confidence: 88%
  - [OONI Explorer (independently verifiable)](https://explorer.ooni.org/search?probe_cc=RU&test_name=tor&since=2026-08-12&until=2026-08-13&only=anomalies)
- **OONI** (measurement): OONI signal: 393/487 measurements anomalous (80.7%)
  - Observed: 2026-08-12
  - Confidence: 82%
  - [OONI Explorer (independently verifiable)](https://explorer.ooni.org/search?probe_cc=RU&test_name=signal&since=2026-08-12&until=2026-08-13&only=anomalies)
- **OONI** (measurement): OONI whatsapp: 322/378 measurements anomalous (85.2%)
  - Observed: 2026-08-12
  - Confidence: 84%
  - [OONI Explorer (independently verifiable)](https://explorer.ooni.org/search?probe_cc=RU&test_name=whatsapp&since=2026-08-12&until=2026-08-13&only=anomalies)
- **OONI** (measurement): OONI telegram: 323/366 measurements anomalous (88.3%)
  - Observed: 2026-08-12
  - Confidence: 85%
  - [OONI Explorer (independently verifiable)](https://explorer.ooni.org/search?probe_cc=RU&test_name=telegram&since=2026-08-12&until=2026-08-13&only=anomalies)
- **OONI** (measurement): OONI tor: 351/362 measurements anomalous (97.0%)
  - Observed: 2026-08-12
  - Confidence: 89%
  - [OONI Explorer (independently verifiable)](https://explorer.ooni.org/search?probe_cc=RU&test_name=tor&since=2026-08-12&until=2026-08-13&only=anomalies)
- **CENSOREDPLANET** (dns-probe): DNS blocking detected: 254/254 probes anomalous (100.0%) for bbc.com
  - Observed: 2026-08-12
  - Confidence: 90%
  - [CensoredPlanet raw-data portal (no per-measurement permalink)](https://data.censoredplanet.org)
- **CENSOREDPLANET** (dns-probe): DNS blocking detected: 105/105 probes anomalous (100.0%) for chat.openai.com
  - Observed: 2026-08-12
  - Confidence: 90%
  - [CensoredPlanet raw-data portal (no per-measurement permalink)](https://data.censoredplanet.org)
- **CENSOREDPLANET** (dns-probe): DNS blocking detected: 93/93 probes anomalous (100.0%) for chatgpt.com
  - Observed: 2026-08-12
  - Confidence: 90%
  - [CensoredPlanet raw-data portal (no per-measurement permalink)](https://data.censoredplanet.org)
- **CENSOREDPLANET** (dns-probe): DNS blocking detected: 104/104 probes anomalous (100.0%) for claude.ai
  - Observed: 2026-08-12
  - Confidence: 90%
  - [CensoredPlanet raw-data portal (no per-measurement permalink)](https://data.censoredplanet.org)
- **CENSOREDPLANET** (dns-probe): DNS blocking detected: 240/240 probes anomalous (100.0%) for facebook.com
  - Observed: 2026-08-12
  - Confidence: 90%
  - [CensoredPlanet raw-data portal (no per-measurement permalink)](https://data.censoredplanet.org)
- **CENSOREDPLANET** (dns-probe): DNS blocking detected: 104/104 probes anomalous (100.0%) for gemini.google.com
  - Observed: 2026-08-12
  - Confidence: 90%
  - [CensoredPlanet raw-data portal (no per-measurement permalink)](https://data.censoredplanet.org)
- **CENSOREDPLANET** (dns-probe): DNS blocking detected: 114/114 probes anomalous (100.0%) for getlantern.org
  - Observed: 2026-08-12
  - Confidence: 90%
  - [CensoredPlanet raw-data portal (no per-measurement permalink)](https://data.censoredplanet.org)
- **CENSOREDPLANET** (dns-probe): DNS blocking detected: 60/60 probes anomalous (100.0%) for google.com
  - Observed: 2026-08-12
  - Confidence: 90%
  - [CensoredPlanet raw-data portal (no per-measurement permalink)](https://data.censoredplanet.org)
- **CENSOREDPLANET** (dns-probe): DNS blocking detected: 107/107 probes anomalous (100.0%) for huggingface.co
  - Observed: 2026-08-12
  - Confidence: 90%
  - [CensoredPlanet raw-data portal (no per-measurement permalink)](https://data.censoredplanet.org)
- **CENSOREDPLANET** (dns-probe): DNS blocking detected: 258/258 probes anomalous (100.0%) for instagram.com
  - Observed: 2026-08-12
  - Confidence: 90%
  - [CensoredPlanet raw-data portal (no per-measurement permalink)](https://data.censoredplanet.org)
- **CENSOREDPLANET** (dns-probe): DNS blocking detected: 252/252 probes anomalous (100.0%) for medium.com
  - Observed: 2026-08-12
  - Confidence: 90%
  - [CensoredPlanet raw-data portal (no per-measurement permalink)](https://data.censoredplanet.org)
- **CENSOREDPLANET** (dns-probe): DNS blocking detected: 114/114 probes anomalous (100.0%) for nytimes.com
  - Observed: 2026-08-12
  - Confidence: 90%
  - [CensoredPlanet raw-data portal (no per-measurement permalink)](https://data.censoredplanet.org)
- **CENSOREDPLANET** (dns-probe): DNS blocking detected: 113/113 probes anomalous (100.0%) for openai.com
  - Observed: 2026-08-12
  - Confidence: 90%
  - [CensoredPlanet raw-data portal (no per-measurement permalink)](https://data.censoredplanet.org)
- **CENSOREDPLANET** (dns-probe): DNS blocking detected: 254/254 probes anomalous (100.0%) for protonvpn.com
  - Observed: 2026-08-12
  - Confidence: 90%
  - [CensoredPlanet raw-data portal (no per-measurement permalink)](https://data.censoredplanet.org)
- **CENSOREDPLANET** (dns-probe): DNS blocking detected: 230/230 probes anomalous (100.0%) for psiphon.ca
  - Observed: 2026-08-12
  - Confidence: 90%
  - [CensoredPlanet raw-data portal (no per-measurement permalink)](https://data.censoredplanet.org)
- **CENSOREDPLANET** (dns-probe): DNS blocking detected: 87/87 probes anomalous (100.0%) for reddit.com
  - Observed: 2026-08-12
  - Confidence: 90%
  - [CensoredPlanet raw-data portal (no per-measurement permalink)](https://data.censoredplanet.org)
- **CENSOREDPLANET** (dns-probe): DNS blocking detected: 108/108 probes anomalous (100.0%) for signal.org
  - Observed: 2026-08-12
  - Confidence: 90%
  - [CensoredPlanet raw-data portal (no per-measurement permalink)](https://data.censoredplanet.org)
- **CENSOREDPLANET** (dns-probe): DNS blocking detected: 111/111 probes anomalous (100.0%) for substack.com
  - Observed: 2026-08-12
  - Confidence: 90%
  - [CensoredPlanet raw-data portal (no per-measurement permalink)](https://data.censoredplanet.org)
- **CENSOREDPLANET** (dns-probe): DNS blocking detected: 95/95 probes anomalous (100.0%) for telegram.org
  - Observed: 2026-08-12
  - Confidence: 90%
  - [CensoredPlanet raw-data portal (no per-measurement permalink)](https://data.censoredplanet.org)
- **CENSOREDPLANET** (dns-probe): DNS blocking detected: 112/112 probes anomalous (100.0%) for theguardian.com
  - Observed: 2026-08-12
  - Confidence: 90%
  - [CensoredPlanet raw-data portal (no per-measurement permalink)](https://data.censoredplanet.org)
- **CENSOREDPLANET** (dns-probe): DNS blocking detected: 341/341 probes anomalous (100.0%) for tiktok.com
  - Observed: 2026-08-12
  - Confidence: 90%
  - [CensoredPlanet raw-data portal (no per-measurement permalink)](https://data.censoredplanet.org)
- **CENSOREDPLANET** (dns-probe): DNS blocking detected: 113/113 probes anomalous (100.0%) for tumblr.com
  - Observed: 2026-08-12
  - Confidence: 90%
  - [CensoredPlanet raw-data portal (no per-measurement permalink)](https://data.censoredplanet.org)
- **CENSOREDPLANET** (dns-probe): DNS blocking detected: 290/290 probes anomalous (100.0%) for twitter.com
  - Observed: 2026-08-12
  - Confidence: 90%
  - [CensoredPlanet raw-data portal (no per-measurement permalink)](https://data.censoredplanet.org)
- **CENSOREDPLANET** (dns-probe): DNS blocking detected: 277/277 probes anomalous (100.0%) for whatsapp.com
  - Observed: 2026-08-12
  - Confidence: 90%
  - [CensoredPlanet raw-data portal (no per-measurement permalink)](https://data.censoredplanet.org)
- **CENSOREDPLANET** (dns-probe): DNS blocking detected: 260/260 probes anomalous (100.0%) for youtube.com
  - Observed: 2026-08-12
  - Confidence: 90%
  - [CensoredPlanet raw-data portal (no per-measurement permalink)](https://data.censoredplanet.org)

## What we cannot say

- **Who caused it** — measurement data alone does not attribute the interference to any government, ISP, or other actor.
- **Intent** — anomalous or unreachable measurements indicate interference, not a stated motive or a deliberate-vs-incidental determination.
- **Which networks** — no specific ASN/ISP is identified for this incident.
- **The mechanism** — we cannot state whether this was DNS tampering, TLS/SNI reset, HTTP blockpage, throttling, or an infrastructure outage.
- **A confirmed duration** — we report the observation window, not a verified start/stop of any block.
- **Sub-national scope** — measurement is aggregated at the country level; we cannot localize to a province, city, or network segment.

## Data Sources

ooni, censoredplanet

## Citation

Voidly Research. (2026). Censorship detected in RU [RU-2026-3016]. Retrieved from https://voidly.ai/incident/RU-2026-3016

---
*Report generated by Voidly Research on 2026-08-13*
*Data licensed under CC BY 4.0*
*Incident ID: RU-2026-3016*
*Permalink: https://voidly.ai/incident/RU-2026-3016*