Widespread Russian outage takes down social networks and online services

There have been widespread service outages in Russia, affecting messaging apps like Telegram, WhatsApp, and Discord, as well as gaming and streaming platforms such as Steam and Twitch, adult sites, and Wikipedia.

The website "Sboy.rf," which tracks service disruptions, also experienced issues due to a surge in traffic.

The site’s team noted on Telegram that it couldn’t handle the influx, despite previously managing similar loads.

Earlier this week, the Russians had trouble accessing Telegram amid rumors of a potential government block.

Russia’s state media agency RIA Novosti, citing media watchdog Roskomnadzor, attributed the disruptions to a DDoS attack on communication operators, but Mikhail Klimarev, director of the Internet Protection Society, dismissed this explanation as implausible, arguing that it’s impossible to carry out a DDoS attack on 2,000 operators simultaneously.