Russian blogger and designer Artemy Lebedev said that Russia will block access to YouTube video hosting by late 2023. He talked about this in an interview with Empathy Manuchi channel, his video has been released. YouTube.
“I think it will be in the fall. September 2023 will be the last day in Russia when YouTube will stop opening without a VPN,” Lebedev said.
According to Blogger, Russian users will switch to other platforms, including domestic ones, after blocking YouTube. The designer himself considers the VK player to be the most convenient.
“VK is working on its good player, it already has timecodes, descriptions, and also the ability to watch the video where you left off last time,” added Lebedev.
He pointed out that now VK Video has everything that was missing before. “It is now almost a full-fledged product. A little more and it will surpass YouTube,” the designer said.
Lebedev is confident that users don’t care exactly where to watch the video, and that blocking it will lead to bypassing, not refusing to watch the video in general.
“You look at your phone. What is the name of the application you watch the video on, what does it matter to you? What is the name of the platform from which you watch them, you should not worry at all, ”the designer concluded.
Maksut Shadayev, head of the Russian Ministry of Digital Development, in January 2023 declarationthat the department has not changed its stance on blocking YouTube video hosting and continues to oppose such a move.
YouTube removed Artemy Lebedev’s main channel and all of his videos on February 22, 2023, for “violating terms of service”. More than 1.1 million people subscribed at the time of the blocking.