Russia Blocks Archive.today, the Site That Kills Paywalls

Russian authorities have blocked access to Archive.today, the popular website that lets people bypass paywalls and read articles behind subscription walls for free. Users in Russia now see a notice stating the site is blocked “by decision of [Russian] public authorities.”

Archive.today has operated since 2012 as a snapshot service—it saves webpages and makes them publicly accessible. While the tool has legitimate uses for preserving web content, it’s widely used to circumvent paywalls from news sites like the Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, and others.

The block is Russia’s latest move to restrict access to sites it deems problematic. The country has previously blocked platforms including Twitter, Instagram, and various VPN services. Archive.today operates from outside Russia, but Moscow uses its own internet infrastructure to prevent citizens from reaching it.