Ahead of the so-called presidential elections in Belarus, where Alexander Lukashenko is preparing to "re-elect" for a 7th term, the authorities have tightened control over the Internet. Users are massively complaining about the blocking of VPN services needed to bypass censorship, as well as significant restrictions on foreign traffic
Points of attention
- Belarusian authorities have tightened internet control measures before the presidential election, including blocking VPN services and restricting access to foreign websites.
- Users in Belarus are experiencing difficulties in connecting to well-known internet services like Twitch, Steam, Reddit, and Telegram, raising concerns about information censorship.
- The restrictions on internet access are linked to threats concerning information infrastructure facilities used during the election process in Belarus.
- The upcoming presidential elections in Belarus are marred by doubts regarding legitimacy and calls for free and fair elections, highlighting tensions between the government and the populace.
- Despite the restrictions, some foreign sites and services remain accessible, while Belarusians are facing challenges in connecting to VPN services, affecting internet usage across the country.
Belarus blocks VPNs and foreign websites
According to hosting provider Hoster.by, the restrictions apply to access to a number of foreign sites and services.
According to the report, the restriction did not affect all sites, but mainly small sites and initiatives that used the "virtual hosting" service, while large news platforms, banks, and online stores remained accessible.
Access to the sites was suspended at 10:00 on January 25 and will continue until 23:59 on January 27. The restrictions were imposed by order of the Operational and Analytical Center.
These measures are due to threats to information infrastructure facilities and information processed using them, the company said in a statement.
Users outside Belarus noticed the unavailability of the Myfin website, the personal account of Belarusian Railways, as well as the applications of Alfa-Bank, Beltelecom, and Eplus. At the same time, these resources continued to work for Belarusian IPs.
At the same time, Belarusians faced difficulties connecting to VPN services such as Proton VPN, NordVPN, TunnelBear, and others. The problems began at approximately 10:00 AM, affecting Minsk and all regions of the country. Only a few services, such as Psiphon, continued to work without failures.
Users reported difficulties connecting to various foreign sites, including Twitch, Steam, and Reddit, and also noticed a deterioration in the performance of the Telegram messenger. According to Downdetector.su, problems with accessing Wikipedia were also recorded for some time.
"Elections" in Belarus: what is known
On January 26, 2025, presidential "elections" will be held in Belarus, in which Alexander Lukashenko, in power since 1994, plans to run for a seventh term.
On the eve of the elections, Lukashenko had already threatened to completely shut down the internet if the situation repeated itself, as in 2020, when mass protests began after the presidential elections.
Then, to suppress them, restrictions on internet access were imposed, which lasted for several days. Many Belarusians consider these elections illegitimate and do not recognize Lukashenko's victory in the previous presidential race.
