Docker Hub Services No Longer Available In Russia

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Shortly after multiple users complained online about the unavailability of Docker Hub services, it’s now official that Docker Hub services have been suspended in Russia. The platform cites US export laws as a reason to pull out their services post-Russia-Ukraine war.

Docker Hub Ends Operations In Russia Sans Prior Notifications

Reportedly, the developer platform Docker has blocked Russian users from accessing it due to US laws. This development came as a shock to many Russian developers who relied on Docker Hub.

Specifically, Docker Hub is the main public registry for the developer platform-as-a-service giant Docker, facilitating the developer community globally. The platform employs a freemium model and has become beneficial for most users as a seamless cloud platform for sharing, storing, and managing container images.

The matter gained traction in the media following multiple complaints from users regarding the inaccessibility of Docker Hub services in Russia. Besides highlighting the matter on social media sites like Reddit, users also shared their concerns on the official Docker forums.

Eventually, Russian media confirmed that Docker blocked its services for Russian users, citing compliance with US export control laws as the reason. Moreover, besides banning Russian users, Docker also restricted users from five other countries: Iran, Cuba, North Korea, Syria, and Sudan.

Users trying to access Docker and facing the restriction witness the following message from the platform.

Since Docker is a US company, we must comply with US export control regulations. In an effort to comply with these, we now block all IP addresses that are located in Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Republic of Crimea, Sudan, and Syria. If you are not in one of these cities, countries, or regions and are blocked, please reach out to https://hub.docker.com/support/contact/

Since Docker mentioned blocking IP addresses from these regions, users may still be able to access the platform using a VPN. In fact, VPNs are often used for accessing blocked sites and services globally. Nonetheless, this isn’t a fool-proof strategy due to potential IP/DNS leak issues that may trigger the ban if the platform knows the real IP addresses or if Docker implements measures to detect and block VPN users.

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