The tightening of YouTube access by Russian authorities has pushed local video platforms to offer tools that help creators move content from YouTube to their own services. VK Video provides a Video Transfer feature, Rutube presents a Video Import option labeled as Youtube Transfer, and the emerging Platform site includes an Import from YouTube section. Still, after the release of the Durov Code, YouTube began to push back against these transfer solutions.
Officials from several Russian hosting services acknowledged that YouTube has introduced technical limits. They stated that the platform’s management is not pleased with the migration of many Russian creators to alternative venues. In particular, the platform’s press team noted that mass video downloads are being blocked, which in turn lengthens the queue for content import.
On one side, YouTube seems intent on curbing bulk downloads by homegrown Russian platforms. On the other, the same restrictions impact services that enable users to fetch videos from YouTube, a stance confirmed by the Association of Professional Users of Social Networks and by a group of ambassadors representing creators and producers.
Earlier observations indicated a noticeable drop in view counts among Russian YouTube bloggers, with some creators reporting declines in the tens of percent range.