Update
As of 11:00 PM on April 15, 2025, Rutracker has resumed operations.
Rutracker Offline
Rutracker, the most prominent torrent tracker in Russia and a well-known entity globally, experienced a significant outage. Established in 2004, this platform became inaccessible across the country, with users from major cities such as Moscow, Volgograd, Yekaterinburg, and Irkutsk reporting difficulties in accessing the highly sought-after portal.
Originally known as Torrents.ru, Rutracker has been permanently blocked in Russia since 2016. For the past nine years, users have relied on various technical methods to bypass these restrictions. However, on April 15, 2025, even these workarounds failed to provide access. Meanwhile, similar platforms remain operational.
What Remains of Rutracker
According to Downdetector, access issues began around 5:00 PM Moscow time on April 15, 2025. By 10:00 PM that same evening, the site remained unavailable, although intermittent access was briefly restored.
Virtual Workarounds Fall Short
The traditional approach of virtually relocating outside of Russia to access Rutracker and similar sites, a method mastered by millions of Russians in recent years, proved ineffective. Instead of reaching the desired site, users encountered a “Web Server Down” message—a standard response from the British cloud service Cloudflare.
This error, known as 521, occurs when a web server unexpectedly terminates its connection with the Cloudflare network.
A Nationwide Impact
At the time of reporting, representatives from the service had not commented on the situation. CNews discovered that the issue seemingly affected only Russian users, as individuals from several cities in Italy and Kazakhstan were able to access Rutracker without difficulty.
No Need for Alarm Yet
This incident marks at least the third occurrence in the past six months where the future of a highly valued web resource among Russians has come into question. In October 2024, the founder of the online library “Flibusta” passed away, following a hospitalization due to a brain tumor. He noted that the servers for “Flibusta” were only funded for a few weeks ahead, yet the service continued to operate at the time of reporting.
In March 2025, a co-founder of The Pirate Bay tragically died in a plane crash. The Pirate Bay, renowned as the world’s most famous torrent tracker, has faced numerous attempts at closure by authorities in various countries, yet it remains functional.
History Does Not Repeat Itself
Rutracker has previously raised concerns regarding its stability. In March 2022, it announced its own anti-Russian sanctions, opting to cease operations within the country, even if removed from the “blacklist” maintained by Roskomnadzor. This decision stemmed from shifting geopolitical dynamics. Nevertheless, for the next three years, Russian users accessed the site without issue, despite its perpetual ban.
In January 2023, Rutracker experienced another outage in Russia, remaining inaccessible for nearly a full day. The homepage displayed a message indicating technical difficulties, without elaborating on the causes.
Clear Evidence of Technical Failures
Subsequently, an official message on the service’s Telegram channel cited hosting issues that required considerable time to resolve. Interestingly, some users reported no access problems during this period.
Historically, users had not complained about the 521 error in relation to Rutracker. According to publicly available information, this error can often indicate a DDoS attack. However, this theory falters given that the tracker operates smoothly outside of Russia.
In November 2024, CNews reported an outbreak of restrictions on foreign hosting providers in Russia. At that time, various resources experienced operational difficulties, even those hosted on Cloudflare platforms.
