Kremlin-YouTube Speed Dispute: The Digital Tug of War

The Kremlin attributes slow YouTube speeds in Russia to Google's non-compliance with local laws. Despite mass outages reported by Russian internet monitoring services, Google disputes claims of equipment issues. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov suggests the issue is not a high priority for most Russians, as noted by Mediascope data.

On Friday, the Kremlin attributed the reduced speeds of YouTube in Russia to Google's alleged non-compliance with the country's laws, with President Vladimir Putin investigating the matter.

Mass outages of the video hosting site, owned by Google, have been noted by Russian internet monitoring services over recent months. The Kremlin accuses Google's inadequate technology upgrades as the cause, a notion Google and tech experts challenge.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov commented that enhancing YouTube speeds, used daily by over 50 million Russians, is not a priority for the general populace, referring to data from Mediascope.

(With inputs from agencies.)