Recently, I shared my detailed experience of how I survived one day on internet whitelists. In short: I went back about 20 years, when the power went out and Wi-Fi disappeared. At the time, I also noticed it felt like a rehearsal for something bigger. Today, June 1, 2026, news broke that many interpreted as “internet is allowed again.” Let me explain what actually happened and what will change in practice.

Let’s figure out how internet access will change in 2026

Why the Internet Doesn’t Work in Russia

For those who missed the backstory: Russia has a system of internet whitelists — a list of resources that continue to work when mobile internet restrictions are imposed. Everything else becomes unavailable during that time.

Initially, internet restrictions in Russia were introduced as a temporary measure during periods of heightened threat (carriers sent SMS warnings, internet was restricted for several hours, then restored). But gradually, in a number of regions, including Sverdlovsk Oblast, website whitelists started operating on a permanent basis.

Until recently, internet shutdowns were only episodic

I wrote separately about how carriers technically block websites in Russia. But here’s the main point: this isn’t blocking individual addresses — it’s filtering all traffic and only allowing specific connections. VPN doesn’t help in this system because VPN traffic itself isn’t on the whitelist either.

Putin Allowed the Internet — True or Not

On June 1, 2026, the Kremlin published a list of directives. One of them states: the government, together with the FSB, must “ensure uninterrupted operation of the most important services and citizens’ access to such services during periods of internet restrictions.” The list of essential services includes: Gosuslugi (government services portal), payment systems, and medical appointment booking services. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov clarified: the directive is specifically related to whitelists. According to him, the operation of resources on this list must be guaranteed, and the whitelist itself is constantly expanding.

What this means in practice, and what it is not. This is not a reversal of internet shutdowns in Russia and not permission for free access to everything. This is a directive to ensure that critically important government and financial services are guaranteed to work during restrictions. The deadline for implementation is July 1, 2026.

Internet Whitelists in Russia — Which Sites Work

Not all websites are included in the whitelists

What is currently included in website whitelists during mobile internet restrictions and what will be guaranteed under the new directive:

  • Gosuslugi: the portal for government and municipal services;
  • Payment systems: transfers, payments through banking apps;
  • Medical appointment services: regional healthcare portals;
  • MAX messenger: as a government communication service;
  • Some Yandex and VK services: search, email, maps.

What doesn’t work — and this is important to understand. Yandex search technically works, but websites from its search results don’t open because they’re not on the whitelist. Contactless payments via SberPay and Yandex Pay don’t work — only Mir Pay is included in the whitelist. Most foreign services, including streaming platforms and international news resources, are unavailable. Additionally, Android devices don’t receive notifications, since they rely on Google services, which are not on the whitelists.

When Will the Internet Be Turned Back On in Russia

The honest answer: there are no deadlines. Internet blocks in Russia in the whitelist format are not a temporary measure with an end date — they’re a permanent access management tool. The June 1 directive concerns the quality of the existing system, not its cancellation.

We continue waiting for the internet in Russia

What will actually change: the list of services guaranteed to work during restrictions should expand. According to Peskov’s statement, the whitelists are constantly being updated. A report from the government and FSB is expected by July 1 — perhaps then there will be specifics about what exactly will be added.

A practical tip for today: if you need to call a taxi when the internet isn’t working in 2026, the situation is not straightforward. Yandex Taxi is included in the whitelists as a service, but the app’s full functionality depends on connection stability. The internet in 2026 in Russia is no longer the same internet it was three years ago. Putin’s directive is not a return to the previous state of affairs, but an attempt to make the new reality slightly more convenient for everyday tasks. That’s a fundamental difference.