I can no longer access http://sputniknews.com/ - likely ISP censorship

[#1]

I believe some form of censorship is applied here by the ISP, it seems that I can resolve the IP but response packets from this web site are blocked.

If I try to access it on the browser I get:

This site can’t be reached sputniknews.com took too long to respond

I don't think it's a DNS problem because I can ping it but I don't receive any response.

PING sputniknews.com (178.248.233.26)

5 packets transmitted, 0 received, 100% packet loss, time 4073ms

Just for info the DNS used by my router is as expected, but I don't think this is a problem:

Primary DNS: 212.159.6.9
Secondary DNS: 212.159.6.10

Please help me to use the internet without political censorship. I'd like to access sputniknews.com without being blocked by my ISP and I don't think this kind of censorship is acceptable.

[#2]

Looks like the site is either down or access is being denied. I’ve tried another ISP it’s not just Plusnet.

[#3]

Sputnik is a Russian state-owned news agency...

Given the amount of disinformation being disseminated by the Russians over the Ukraine and other matters, blocking access to it seems like a sensible strategy at the moment.

[#4]

Moderators Note

This topic has been moved from ADSL Broadband to Everything Else

[#5]

Connecting VPN to UK it's blocked, connecting to US it's not.
So would seem they're restricting access, not PN.

[#6]

> Sputnik is a Russian state-owned news agency... Given the amount of disinformation being disseminated by the Russians over the Ukraine and other matters, blocking access

This is debatable. I shouldn't need your permission to access a web site that gives a different political point of view compared to the western one. Disinformation happens also on main stream media sources that are not even questioned as long as they show the narrative that the western leaders like. Disinformation is just used as an excuse to censor different point of views. I paid for unrestricted internet access, not to only access the sites you like.

[#7]

It has been pointed out that it is not the ISPs who are restricting access.

You are not paying for unrestricted access, you are paying for access unlimited in respect of bandwidth.

[#8]

Thanks, so do you think it's not PlusNet restricting access but maybe BT or at another higher level in the UK?

I really doubt that access is restricted in Russia.

[#9]

The site is blocking UK access, as mentioned above.

[#10]

@dvorak 

Ah I misunderstood your previous post - your analysis suggests that Russia does not want people in the UK to read what they are saying (to their own citizens?) it is they who are rejecting access by UK residents - rather than as I understood your comment, that the blocking is somewhere near the top of the UK's internet routing gateways (as somewhere in BT's world) inhibiting access to the service?

FWIW is is not accessible over the EE network either.

[#11]

Given it's not available on Voda or VPNs I doubt it's at a UK network level, therefore I suspect the site is restricting via RIPE ranges.

[#12]

I disagree with your conclusion about sputnik banning traffic to the UK, doesn't make sense, I think it's a higher level ban in the UK maybe BT or Europe. 

From wikipedia: 

Sputnik was banned in the European Union in February 2022 (along with RT) following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[21] Technology companies and social media services responded to the invasion by removing Sputnik from their platforms, while many versions such as the French, the German and the Greek ones have closed their operation.

[#13]

The EU has banned RT and Sputnik.

Since the UK has banned RT, it follows that it would ban Sputnik too, as they're both state owned.

https://www.thewrap.com/european-union-bans-rt-sputnik-russia-ukraine/

[#14]

@mauromeneghin 

Further to what others have said, after I noticed your thread earlier today I tried connecting to the site via a VPN to Sweden and found it was also inaccessible.  I then tried the RT site just to see if it was also blocked and found it wasn't.  Out of curiosity I had a look around RT to see what propaganda was being pushed, and conspicuous by their absence were images of the bomb site formerly known as Ukraine.  But then, I wouldn't expect anything less.  

[#15]

Seems to working ok now, maybe just a glitch!