If you live in Russia and use an iPhone, you’ve probably already encountered a situation where mobile internet suddenly stopped working. Your usual apps won’t open, websites won’t load, and you’re standing in the middle of the street unable to even call a taxi. But some services still work despite this. How? It’s all about the “white list” from the Ministry of Digital Development — and although the State Duma is already discussing internet without restrictions but with special passes, this system currently applies to everyone. Today we’ll take a detailed look at what this is and why it matters to every iPhone owner.
White lists are apparently here to stay, and many resources are still not on them
What Is the Ministry of Digital Development’s White List
The “white list” is a registry of websites, apps, and online services that continue to work even during mobile internet restrictions. It is compiled and updated by the Ministry of Digital Development.
Why is this needed? Since the summer of 2025, mobile internet has been periodically shut down in a number of Russian regions — for security reasons, including to counter UAVs. A complete shutdown paralyzed banking apps, government services, marketplaces, and everything else that everyday life depends on. The solution came in the form of a list of socially significant resources whose traffic is not blocked.
Imagine going to Gosuslugi to book a doctor’s appointment and it doesn’t work. Panic. Image: deita.ru
The Ministry of Digital Development first published the “white list” in September 2025 — at that time it contained only about 20 services. Since then, the list has been updated six times. As of April 23, 2026, it includes more than 500 entries.
Website Access During Mobile Internet Shutdowns
Technically, everything is quite straightforward. Mobile carriers configure DPI filters that allow traffic to resources on the list while blocking everything else. No additional action is required from you — everything works automatically.
An important point: the restrictions apply only to mobile internet. If you’re connected to Wi-Fi, all websites and apps work normally (except those blocked or throttled by Roskomnadzor on other grounds). The Ministry of Digital Development and carriers have officially denied rumors about introducing “white lists” for home broadband internet. There are also parallel discussions about charging for VPN traffic, but that is a separate initiative.
Which Resources Are Included in the White List
The list has grown to an impressive size over the past months. Here are the main categories.
Social networks. VKontakte, Odnoklassniki.
Messenger. MAX.
Of course, our beloved messenger couldn’t be left out of this company. Image: vedomosti.ru
Video services. Rutube, Okko, Ivi, Premier.
Marketplaces. Ozon, Wildberries, Megamarket.
Banks. Alfa-Bank, VTB, PSB, Gazprombank.
Telecom operators. Beeline, MegaFon, MTS, T2, Rostelecom, Motiv, T-Mobile, SberMobile, Er-Telecom, VTB-Mobile, Next Mobile.
Restaurants and stores. Vkusno i Tochka, Burger King, VkusVill, Auchan, Spar, Metro, Petrovich, Detsky Mir, Lenta, Okay, Dodo Pizza.
Media. RIA Novosti, Argumenty i Fakty, Vedomosti, Vitrina TV, Duma TV, TV3, Vmeste-RF, Gazeta.ru, Domashny, Zvezda, Kommersant, NTV, OTR, Komsomolskaya Pravda, Lenta.ru, Match TV, Mir, Moskovsky Komsomolets, Muz TV, Parlamentskaya Gazeta, Channel One, TNT, RT, Pyatnitsa, Channel Five, Radioplayer, Rambler, RBC, Ren TV, TVTs, Rossiyskaya Gazeta, Spas, VGTRK, STS, Channel 360°, Solovyov Live, Sport24.
Websites. Gosuslugi, Mir payment system, State Duma, websites of the Government and the Presidential Administration of Russia, the federal remote electronic voting platform, agencies and services, federal ministries, the Federal Treasury, the Federation Council, regional governments, government information systems, the Prosecutor General’s Office, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, EMERCOM, the Federal Tax Service, the Central Bank, the Moscow Exchange, GIS Housing and Utilities, Rosseti, Obyasnyaem.RF, the information resource “Results of the Year with Vladimir Putin,” Gismeteo, Caesar Satellite, the Dzen information platform, Dvizheniye Pervykh, HeadHunter, Aeroflot, Pobeda, LizaAlert, Dobro.rf, the All-Russia People’s Front, the Russian Society Znaniye, Ruwiki, Roskachestvo, GLONASS, Rosatom, Rostec, Rosneft, Nornickel, KHL.
Services. Yandex, Mail.ru, DomClick, Avito, the digital labeling system Chestniy Znak, the Tutu.ru travel portal, the 2GIS navigator, Russian Railways, Grand Service Express, Russian Post, Maxim taxi, Citydrive, Delovye Linii, Rosatom Charging Station Network, Kuper delivery, Samokat, SDEK, the Inspector app for remote business inspections, Tensor, SKB Kontur electronic document management, Evotor online cash registers, Rosagroleasing, Delimobil, BelkaCar, TrueConf, 1C, Digital Solutions for Regions, HRlink, GIS EPD.
Medical apps. A separate category that was added to the list in April 2026. These include CGM system apps (Yuwell Anytime, Follow Anytime, Anytime, Anytime Follow, POCTech CGM, DiaNanny, iCan Health, iCan Reach, Syai Link, FreeStyle LibreLink, FreeStyle Libre 2, Glutec, Lumiflex, Lumiflex Linx, Lumipod, Hematonix, Hematonix Max, MQ CGM, Medtrum EasyPatch, Medtrum EasyTouch, Medtrum EasyFollow, Medtrum EasySense), as well as remote health monitoring systems — M-Line Remote Diabetes Control, Satellite Online, IoMT.Istok, Inme. Also included are Medsi clinics, Mother and Child, and the Dostavista service. For people with diabetes who depend on glucose monitoring data, this is critically important.
Why Telegram Doesn’t Work During Mobile Internet Shutdowns
This is perhaps the most painful question. Telegram is one of the most popular messengers in Russia, but it is not on the “white list” and won’t be in the foreseeable future. Moreover, alongside the “white lists,” there is also an ongoing Telegram blocking effort in Russia, which only makes the situation worse.
The chances of Telegram appearing on Russia’s white lists are about the same as my chances of becoming US president — that is, none
The reason is simple: Telegram is considered a foreign platform. The main condition for being included on the list is hosting all computing infrastructure on Russian territory. Telegram’s servers are located around the world, and the company has no plans to change that.
State Duma deputy Anton Nemkin directly stated that including Telegram in the “white list” is impossible because it is a foreign service. The only messenger on the list is MAX.
Why Sber and T-Bank Were Not Added to the White List
Another painful topic. Sber serves more than half the country’s population, and T-Bank is one of the largest digital banks. But neither works during mobile internet shutdowns.
