DeepSeek chatbot experiencing outages in Russia as Roskomnadzor denies blocking

Users in Russia have reported disruptions to the Chinese AI chatbot DeepSeek, according to monitoring platforms Sboi.rf and Downdetector. Russia's internet regulator Roskomnadzor has denied any involvement in blocking the service.

Users across Russia have begun reporting widespread disruptions to the Chinese AI chatbot DeepSeek, with complaints flooding monitoring platforms Sboi.rf and Downdetector. The outages have raised questions about access to foreign AI services in the country.

Russia's federal internet regulator Roskomnadzor has denied that it is behind the disruptions, stating that no blocking measures have been applied against the DeepSeek platform. The regulator did not offer an alternative explanation for the reported access issues.

DeepSeek, developed by a Chinese company, has gained significant international attention as a competitive alternative to Western AI chatbots. Its availability in Russia has been of particular interest given the country's increasingly restricted digital landscape and strained relations with Western tech providers.

The cause of the outages remains unclear, as they could stem from technical issues on DeepSeek's servers, network-level interference, or other factors. Users have been unable to confirm whether the disruptions are temporary or indicate a longer-term access problem.