# Censorship detected in RU

**Country:** 🇷🇺 Russia (RU)
**Date:** 2026-08-19
**Type:** Censorship
**Severity:** CRITICAL
**Status:** suspected

## Summary

None

## Metrics

- Confidence: 90%
- Measurements: 16
- Anomaly Rate: 99.7%

## Evidence

- **OONI** (measurement): OONI signal: 456/547 measurements anomalous (83.4%)
  - Observed: 2026-08-19
  - Confidence: 83%
  - [OONI Explorer (independently verifiable)](https://explorer.ooni.org/search?probe_cc=RU&test_name=signal&since=2026-08-19&until=2026-08-20&only=anomalies)
- **OONI** (measurement): OONI whatsapp: 290/355 measurements anomalous (81.7%)
  - Observed: 2026-08-19
  - Confidence: 83%
  - [OONI Explorer (independently verifiable)](https://explorer.ooni.org/search?probe_cc=RU&test_name=whatsapp&since=2026-08-19&until=2026-08-20&only=anomalies)
- **OONI** (measurement): OONI telegram: 306/353 measurements anomalous (86.7%)
  - Observed: 2026-08-19
  - Confidence: 85%
  - [OONI Explorer (independently verifiable)](https://explorer.ooni.org/search?probe_cc=RU&test_name=telegram&since=2026-08-19&until=2026-08-20&only=anomalies)
- **OONI** (measurement): OONI tor: 345/349 measurements anomalous (98.9%)
  - Observed: 2026-08-19
  - Confidence: 90%
  - [OONI Explorer (independently verifiable)](https://explorer.ooni.org/search?probe_cc=RU&test_name=tor&since=2026-08-19&until=2026-08-20&only=anomalies)
- **OONI** (measurement): OONI signal: 460/538 measurements anomalous (85.5%)
  - Observed: 2026-08-19
  - Confidence: 84%
  - [OONI Explorer (independently verifiable)](https://explorer.ooni.org/search?probe_cc=RU&test_name=signal&since=2026-08-19&until=2026-08-20&only=anomalies)
- **OONI** (measurement): OONI whatsapp: 291/358 measurements anomalous (81.3%)
  - Observed: 2026-08-19
  - Confidence: 83%
  - [OONI Explorer (independently verifiable)](https://explorer.ooni.org/search?probe_cc=RU&test_name=whatsapp&since=2026-08-19&until=2026-08-20&only=anomalies)
- **OONI** (measurement): OONI telegram: 310/346 measurements anomalous (89.6%)
  - Observed: 2026-08-19
  - Confidence: 86%
  - [OONI Explorer (independently verifiable)](https://explorer.ooni.org/search?probe_cc=RU&test_name=telegram&since=2026-08-19&until=2026-08-20&only=anomalies)
- **OONI** (measurement): OONI tor: 363/372 measurements anomalous (97.6%)
  - Observed: 2026-08-19
  - Confidence: 89%
  - [OONI Explorer (independently verifiable)](https://explorer.ooni.org/search?probe_cc=RU&test_name=tor&since=2026-08-19&until=2026-08-20&only=anomalies)
- **OONI** (measurement): OONI signal: 465/530 measurements anomalous (87.7%)
  - Observed: 2026-08-19
  - Confidence: 85%
  - [OONI Explorer (independently verifiable)](https://explorer.ooni.org/search?probe_cc=RU&test_name=signal&since=2026-08-19&until=2026-08-20&only=anomalies)
- **OONI** (measurement): OONI whatsapp: 335/395 measurements anomalous (84.8%)
  - Observed: 2026-08-19
  - Confidence: 84%
  - [OONI Explorer (independently verifiable)](https://explorer.ooni.org/search?probe_cc=RU&test_name=whatsapp&since=2026-08-19&until=2026-08-20&only=anomalies)
- **OONI** (measurement): OONI telegram: 342/382 measurements anomalous (89.5%)
  - Observed: 2026-08-19
  - Confidence: 86%
  - [OONI Explorer (independently verifiable)](https://explorer.ooni.org/search?probe_cc=RU&test_name=telegram&since=2026-08-19&until=2026-08-20&only=anomalies)
- **OONI** (measurement): OONI tor: 396/401 measurements anomalous (98.8%)
  - Observed: 2026-08-19
  - Confidence: 90%
  - [OONI Explorer (independently verifiable)](https://explorer.ooni.org/search?probe_cc=RU&test_name=tor&since=2026-08-19&until=2026-08-20&only=anomalies)
- **OONI** (measurement): OONI signal: 409/465 measurements anomalous (88.0%)
  - Observed: 2026-08-19
  - Confidence: 85%
  - [OONI Explorer (independently verifiable)](https://explorer.ooni.org/search?probe_cc=RU&test_name=signal&since=2026-08-19&until=2026-08-20&only=anomalies)
- **OONI** (measurement): OONI whatsapp: 315/368 measurements anomalous (85.6%)
  - Observed: 2026-08-19
  - Confidence: 84%
  - [OONI Explorer (independently verifiable)](https://explorer.ooni.org/search?probe_cc=RU&test_name=whatsapp&since=2026-08-19&until=2026-08-20&only=anomalies)
- **OONI** (measurement): OONI telegram: 312/345 measurements anomalous (90.4%)
  - Observed: 2026-08-19
  - Confidence: 86%
  - [OONI Explorer (independently verifiable)](https://explorer.ooni.org/search?probe_cc=RU&test_name=telegram&since=2026-08-19&until=2026-08-20&only=anomalies)
- **OONI** (measurement): OONI tor: 338/339 measurements anomalous (99.7%)
  - Observed: 2026-08-19
  - Confidence: 90%
  - [OONI Explorer (independently verifiable)](https://explorer.ooni.org/search?probe_cc=RU&test_name=tor&since=2026-08-19&until=2026-08-20&only=anomalies)
- **CENSOREDPLANET** (dns-probe): DNS blocking detected: 228/228 probes anomalous (100.0%) for bbc.com
  - Observed: 2026-08-19
  - Confidence: 90%
  - [CensoredPlanet raw-data portal (no per-measurement permalink)](https://data.censoredplanet.org)
- **CENSOREDPLANET** (dns-probe): DNS blocking detected: 109/109 probes anomalous (100.0%) for chat.openai.com
  - Observed: 2026-08-19
  - Confidence: 90%
  - [CensoredPlanet raw-data portal (no per-measurement permalink)](https://data.censoredplanet.org)
- **CENSOREDPLANET** (dns-probe): DNS blocking detected: 91/91 probes anomalous (100.0%) for chatgpt.com
  - Observed: 2026-08-19
  - Confidence: 90%
  - [CensoredPlanet raw-data portal (no per-measurement permalink)](https://data.censoredplanet.org)
- **CENSOREDPLANET** (dns-probe): DNS blocking detected: 103/103 probes anomalous (100.0%) for claude.ai
  - Observed: 2026-08-19
  - Confidence: 90%
  - [CensoredPlanet raw-data portal (no per-measurement permalink)](https://data.censoredplanet.org)
- **CENSOREDPLANET** (dns-probe): DNS blocking detected: 214/214 probes anomalous (100.0%) for facebook.com
  - Observed: 2026-08-19
  - 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 gemini.google.com
  - Observed: 2026-08-19
  - Confidence: 90%
  - [CensoredPlanet raw-data portal (no per-measurement permalink)](https://data.censoredplanet.org)
- **CENSOREDPLANET** (dns-probe): DNS blocking detected: 116/116 probes anomalous (100.0%) for getlantern.org
  - Observed: 2026-08-19
  - Confidence: 90%
  - [CensoredPlanet raw-data portal (no per-measurement permalink)](https://data.censoredplanet.org)
- **CENSOREDPLANET** (dns-probe): DNS blocking detected: 61/61 probes anomalous (100.0%) for google.com
  - Observed: 2026-08-19
  - 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 huggingface.co
  - Observed: 2026-08-19
  - Confidence: 90%
  - [CensoredPlanet raw-data portal (no per-measurement permalink)](https://data.censoredplanet.org)
- **CENSOREDPLANET** (dns-probe): DNS blocking detected: 232/232 probes anomalous (100.0%) for instagram.com
  - Observed: 2026-08-19
  - Confidence: 90%
  - [CensoredPlanet raw-data portal (no per-measurement permalink)](https://data.censoredplanet.org)
- **CENSOREDPLANET** (dns-probe): DNS blocking detected: 232/232 probes anomalous (100.0%) for medium.com
  - Observed: 2026-08-19
  - Confidence: 90%
  - [CensoredPlanet raw-data portal (no per-measurement permalink)](https://data.censoredplanet.org)
- **CENSOREDPLANET** (dns-probe): DNS blocking detected: 118/118 probes anomalous (100.0%) for nytimes.com
  - Observed: 2026-08-19
  - Confidence: 90%
  - [CensoredPlanet raw-data portal (no per-measurement permalink)](https://data.censoredplanet.org)
- **CENSOREDPLANET** (dns-probe): DNS blocking detected: 110/110 probes anomalous (100.0%) for openai.com
  - Observed: 2026-08-19
  - Confidence: 90%
  - [CensoredPlanet raw-data portal (no per-measurement permalink)](https://data.censoredplanet.org)
- **CENSOREDPLANET** (dns-probe): DNS blocking detected: 224/224 probes anomalous (100.0%) for protonvpn.com
  - Observed: 2026-08-19
  - Confidence: 90%
  - [CensoredPlanet raw-data portal (no per-measurement permalink)](https://data.censoredplanet.org)
- **CENSOREDPLANET** (dns-probe): DNS blocking detected: 211/211 probes anomalous (100.0%) for psiphon.ca
  - Observed: 2026-08-19
  - Confidence: 90%
  - [CensoredPlanet raw-data portal (no per-measurement permalink)](https://data.censoredplanet.org)
- **CENSOREDPLANET** (dns-probe): DNS blocking detected: 91/91 probes anomalous (100.0%) for reddit.com
  - Observed: 2026-08-19
  - 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 signal.org
  - Observed: 2026-08-19
  - Confidence: 90%
  - [CensoredPlanet raw-data portal (no per-measurement permalink)](https://data.censoredplanet.org)
- **CENSOREDPLANET** (dns-probe): DNS blocking detected: 116/116 probes anomalous (100.0%) for substack.com
  - Observed: 2026-08-19
  - Confidence: 90%
  - [CensoredPlanet raw-data portal (no per-measurement permalink)](https://data.censoredplanet.org)
- **CENSOREDPLANET** (dns-probe): DNS blocking detected: 96/96 probes anomalous (100.0%) for telegram.org
  - Observed: 2026-08-19
  - Confidence: 90%
  - [CensoredPlanet raw-data portal (no per-measurement permalink)](https://data.censoredplanet.org)
- **CENSOREDPLANET** (dns-probe): DNS blocking detected: 115/115 probes anomalous (100.0%) for theguardian.com
  - Observed: 2026-08-19
  - Confidence: 90%
  - [CensoredPlanet raw-data portal (no per-measurement permalink)](https://data.censoredplanet.org)
- **CENSOREDPLANET** (dns-probe): DNS blocking detected: 398/398 probes anomalous (100.0%) for tiktok.com
  - Observed: 2026-08-19
  - Confidence: 90%
  - [CensoredPlanet raw-data portal (no per-measurement permalink)](https://data.censoredplanet.org)
- **CENSOREDPLANET** (dns-probe): DNS blocking detected: 116/116 probes anomalous (100.0%) for tumblr.com
  - Observed: 2026-08-19
  - Confidence: 90%
  - [CensoredPlanet raw-data portal (no per-measurement permalink)](https://data.censoredplanet.org)
- **CENSOREDPLANET** (dns-probe): DNS blocking detected: 278/278 probes anomalous (100.0%) for twitter.com
  - Observed: 2026-08-19
  - Confidence: 90%
  - [CensoredPlanet raw-data portal (no per-measurement permalink)](https://data.censoredplanet.org)
- **CENSOREDPLANET** (dns-probe): DNS blocking detected: 293/293 probes anomalous (100.0%) for whatsapp.com
  - Observed: 2026-08-19
  - Confidence: 90%
  - [CensoredPlanet raw-data portal (no per-measurement permalink)](https://data.censoredplanet.org)
- **CENSOREDPLANET** (dns-probe): DNS blocking detected: 308/308 probes anomalous (100.0%) for youtube.com
  - Observed: 2026-08-19
  - 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-2026-3035]. Retrieved from https://voidly.ai/incident/RU-2026-3035

---
*Report generated by Voidly Research on 2026-08-20*
*Data licensed under CC BY 4.0*
*Incident ID: RU-2026-3035*
*Permalink: https://voidly.ai/incident/RU-2026-3035*