Georgia Eases Restrictions on Russian Websites

Georgia unblocked websites on the .ru domain on September 9, but restriction on some websites remain.

Websites of Russian television stations, which carry news, as well as of some major news agencies, including those of Interfax, RIA Novosti and Itar-Tass, are still inaccessible. Some Russian ministries’ websites, including those of the Foreign and Defense Ministries, are also inaccessible.

Meanwhile, some of Georgian news websites are still experiencing problems related to cyber attack. www.apsny.ge run an announcement earlier on September 10 saying it was under DDoS attack.

Blocking websites on the .ru domain, which was described by Georgian officials as part of the information war with Russia, failed to be very effective, as many internet users in Georgia switched to proxy servers, through which it was still possible to access Russian websites.

Meanwhile, Russian television stations, which carry news, still remain blocked. These television stations went off air in Georgia on August 8 after the government ordered the local cable networks to do so. The Russian stations affected, however, are still available on satellite, but most viewers had accessed them through cable.

This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)