Google Encourages Russian ISPs to Connect to Caching Equipment in Warsaw for Improved Content Delivery

According to information from specialized media sources and telecommunications representatives, Google has proposed to Russian providers to connect to its caching servers located in Warsaw in order to enhance content loading speeds for users in Russia.

Vitaly Karbovsky, the deputy director of Belarus’ National Center for Traffic Exchange (NCTE), shared with the media that starting in 2024, several major foreign tech companies, which have high traffic consumption rates among users, began to establish their caching servers in data centers in Warsaw to be closer to Russian and Belarusian audiences. Among the companies that have set up caching equipment in Warsaw, Karbovsky identified Google, Akamai (a CDN provider working with Apple, Steam, Microsoft), ByteDance (TikTok), British CDN provider 77, and others.

Karbovsky remarked that «at least Google and Akamai have approached Belarusian operators to assist in connecting Russian operators» through the Warsaw facilities. He added that due to sanctions, the content delivery networks (CDNs) that were established in Russia before 2022 are not being modernized. He noted that the equipment in Warsaw is currently more powerful than that in Frankfurt, which is the preferred traffic exchange point for Russian operators with foreign providers.

Karbovsky explained that the Frankfurt traffic exchange point, typically used by operators from Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan, is currently overloaded, partly due to the increasing number of VPN users. Additionally, due to geographical factors, data transfer from Warsaw to Moscow through Belarus is 14–15 milliseconds faster than from Frankfurt.

Nikolai Metlyuk, the general director of Piter-IX (a traffic exchange point in St. Petersburg), added that their Piter-IX is already connected to caching servers located in Warsaw. «For over two years, we have been urging foreign partners to place servers there, as it’s the closest point for server placement considering sanctions and other factors. The logic for foreign companies is clear—traffic from Russian users is flowing, and it needs to be delivered somehow,» Metlyuk explained.

Several telecommunications market participants have reported that the arrival of foreign content providers’ equipment in Warsaw will not affect them. Evgeny Morozov, the general director of MSK-IX (a Moscow traffic exchange point owned by Rostelecom), stated that most of the mentioned content providers are connected directly to them, «and their traffic is available to all participants and continues to grow steadily.»

A representative of VimpelCom (the Beeline brand) informed the media that Frankfurt has long been a traditional location for traffic exchange in Europe and is actively developing, remaining a primary site for telecom operators. «Despite Amsterdam’s popularity, regulatory and technical challenges emerged there, limiting growth. Beeline is actively investing in international infrastructure: we recently upgraded our node in Frankfurt and are preparing to launch a new international node in Helsinki. Regarding Warsaw, the company has no plans to establish its own node, as most major content providers are concentrated in Frankfurt and Amsterdam, while Helsinki is far more advantageous for connecting with foreign networks and content generators. Thus, changes in infrastructure in Warsaw do not affect the operation of the Beeline network,» the VimpelCom representative clarified.

In December 2023, Google suggested that Russian telecom operators establish direct connections in Moscow or St. Petersburg instead of relying on its Google Global Cache (GGC) caching servers to maintain access quality to its services, including YouTube.

The GGC caching nodes are part of Google’s infrastructure that is closest to users and are located within local operators’ networks. These servers temporarily store popular content that is frequently requested by users, speeding up access to Google services such as YouTube, Google Maps, and Google Play. This arrangement optimizes bandwidth usage for both Google and telecom operators.

Without GGC, user-requested content comes directly from Google’s servers. With the caching servers, only the initial copy of a video is transmitted through the entire chain, while subsequent requests from other users are handled by GGC equipment on the provider’s side. If issues arise in any elements of this system or if GGC nodes cease operations in a country, Google service content will load slower, causing increased loading times for some websites. This will be particularly noticeable for YouTube users.

Since May 2022, Google has begun the process of disconnecting certain GGC servers in Russia located with less popular providers, citing «changes in the legal landscape.» However, there was no discussion of shutting down the GGC system in the country. Google has promised to continue providing free services to users in Russia, including its search engine, YouTube, GMail, Google Maps, Google Play, and others.

On July 12, 2024, Rostelecom warned of technical difficulties with Google Global Cache equipment used within its network infrastructure and peering connections, which could affect access to YouTube or degrade the service.

«Rostelecom» reported technical problems with equipment belonging to Google that is used on the network infrastructure of the operator and its peering points. This equipment is used for caching and speeding up the loading of content for Google services, primarily the YouTube video platform (the Google Global Cache system).

Due to operational issues with this equipment and the inability to expand it amid rising traffic volumes, there has been significant strain on existing capacities, especially at peering points. This may impact the loading speeds and playback quality of YouTube videos for subscribers of all Russian operators.

The Roskomnadzor agency stated that there was nothing additional to add regarding Rostelecom’s information about technical problems with Google equipment in Russia that might affect the YouTube video hosting service.

Since early August 2024, the operation of YouTube on Russian telecom networks nearly came to a halt. According to Google statistics, compared to data from early July 2024, video platform traffic in Russia dropped by approximately 80%. The service has virtually ceased functioning not only on fixed networks but also on mobile internet.

A Google representative informed the media that they are aware of reports indicating that some users in Russia cannot access YouTube. «This is not due to any technical problems or actions on our side,» the service clarified.

At the end of December 2024, Russian telecom providers reported to the media that they have no restrictions on data transmission speeds for YouTube traffic, and the difficulties experienced by wired network and mobile internet users in accessing the American platform arose either from issues on the service’s end or external causes.

In March 2025, Sergey Anokhin, the CEO of Beeline, stated in an interview that YouTube’s performance in Russia has slowed down due to the outdated video distribution network.

When asked by Vedomosti, «In the summer, when YouTube started slowing down, it was attributed to technical specifics, including the operation of CDN nodes. Is that correct?» Anokhin responded, «YouTube has become slower. There is a distributed video storage network. It isn’t developing or being maintained, traffic volumes are still increasing, and the video service owner has officially exited Russia. Users feel this in the slower service performance. Equipment is failing, or it no longer suffices to handle the growing volume of content.

We experience customer dissatisfaction directly, as we and other providers and operators belong to the last mile. It used to work, and now it doesn’t—this results in a stream of complaints and inquiries directed towards the telecom operators. We are trying to explain what is happening, that our networks are functioning as they always have, that these issues exist at deeper levels which we cannot resolve. We are communicating with clients to clarify that this is a problem for us as well.»