From 10:00 on January 25 to 23:59 on January 27, 2025, Belarusian hosting providers restricted access to virtual hosting from outside the Republic of Belarus. This measure has been implemented in accordance with a directive from the Operational and Analytical Center under the President of Belarus and is justified by threats to information infrastructure and the data being processed.
Clients relying on external services are advised to prepare for potential disruptions in resource availability. If DNS records point to servers located outside the country, it is strongly recommended to redirect them to domestic DNS servers to mitigate the impact of external traffic blocks and ensure website accessibility.
Earlier, on January 10, 2025, Belarus experienced widespread internet outages. Users reported issues accessing websites, messaging platforms, and YouTube. According to information provided by Beltelecom, these disruptions coincided with planned maintenance, which temporarily restricted internet access for subscribers in Minsk, Gomel, and the Gomel region.
These restrictions align with the presidential election scheduled for January 26, 2025. Early voting began on January 21 and will continue until January 25. Five candidates, including the incumbent president Alexander Lukashenko, who is seeking a seventh consecutive term, are vying for the presidency.
The previous election in 2020 was marked by widespread protests and allegations of electoral fraud. In response, authorities have heightened security measures, including potential internet shutdowns and deploying military forces to maintain order.
The restriction of external internet access during the election period has raised concerns among users and experts about the stability and availability of information within the country.
