The Moscow Times reports that the AI-powered translation platform DeepL is no longer available in Russia and Belarus. When users in either country try to access the service through web or mobile, they see the message: “This service is not available in your region.” The company has not released a public statement explaining the restriction.

Service disruption and uncertainty

Both the desktop site and mobile app have ceased to function for users in the affected regions. There is no official information available about the cause or the duration of the disruption. It is also unclear whether the move was initiated by DeepL, mandated by local regulations, or influenced by third-party factors.

The lack of detail has led to speculation, but no direct link has been confirmed between the restriction and any specific event or policy. As of now, the platform remains inaccessible in both countries.

Language expansion during the earlier conflict

In 2022, after the conflict between Russia and Ukraine escalated, DeepL added Ukrainian to its list of supported languages. It became the 29th language available on the platform. According to the company, strong user demand prompted the team to accelerate the release of the Ukrainian model.

There is currently no evidence that this earlier decision is related to the current block.

Effects on users and language access

For users in Russia and Belarus, losing access to DeepL means fewer options for high-quality machine translation. This impacts professionals, students, and organizations that rely on such tools for multilingual tasks. While other platforms are still available, performance may vary, especially in legal, technical, or academic contexts.

The situation raises broader questions about access to global digital services. As language technology becomes more embedded in daily life, issues such as availability, regulation, and long-term reliability continue to shape how multilingual tools reach different regions.