YouTube speeds in Russia are expected to sharply decline on desktop computers due to Google's failure to upgrade its equipment and its refusal to unblock Russian media channels, according to a senior lawmaker.

🇷🇺 Alexander Khinshtein, head of the lower house of parliament's information policy committee, stated that the slower speeds are a consequence of YouTube's non-compliance with Russian law. He claimed YouTube download speeds in Russia were already down 40% and could drop by up to 70% next week.

Communications regulator Roskomnadzor attributed the decline in YouTube quality to Google's lack of upgrades to its Google Global Cache servers in Russia. Khinshtein also noted that Google had not invested in Russian infrastructure and allowed its local subsidiary to go bankrupt, preventing payments for local data center services.

YouTube blocked access to channels associated with Russian state-funded media globally in March 2022, citing its policy against content that denies or trivializes violent events. This action, along with Russia's invasion of Ukraine, led to the removal of violating content. Google's Russian subsidiary filed for bankruptcy later that year after the seizure of its bank account by Russian authorities.

Russia has previously blocked and slowed down other social media, with many Russians using VPNs to circumvent these restrictions. Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov recently proposed blocking YouTube outright due to its "openly anti-Russian policy" and refusal to unblock Russian channels.

Google has yet to respond to these accusations.