USSR's Internet Legacy Persists

A country can disappear from the map without its internet address disappearing entirely. The USSR collapsed at the end of 1991, but its web extension, the .su, continues to exist today. Moreover, it still accepts new registrations, managed from Moscow in a form of digital anomaly that has spanned three decades of history without anyone really daring to touch it.

Origins of the .su Domain

The .su domain was registered on September 19, 1990, fifteen months before the official dissolution of the USSR on December 26, 1991. Although ICANN judged the USSR ineligible for a country code top-level domain in 2022, no firm schedule for its removal has been set, with an announced removal by 2030 remaining uncertain.

Legal Vacuum and Protected Status

The SU code disappeared from the ISO 3166-1 standard in 1992, the one that officially lists the countries of the world, but no procedure for removing the internet domain was initiated at that time. A legal vacuum was established, and it would last much longer than expected. This administrative ambiguity could have lasted a few years before a logical cleanup. Instead, the domain benefited from a real regulatory boost.

Recent Developments and Uncertainty

In 2022, at the ICANN 73 public forum, its president Martin Botterman stated that the USSR is no longer considered eligible for a ccTLD. In 2025, PTI sent a private letter to the domain administrator about a scheduled removal by 2030. However, ICANN's head clarified that there is no firm schedule for the formal notice of removal, leaving the domain's future uncertain.

Russian Control and Continued Use

Managed since 2020 by the ANO RosNIIROS under the authority of Roskomnadzor, the .su remains fully active with approximately 100,000 domains registered. It is now subject, like the .ru and .рф, to mandatory identification of registrants via the Gosuslugi portal. Russia seems to be strengthening its administrative grip over this extension rather than letting it slip away. Since September 1, 2026, mandatory identification of holders of .ru, .рф, and now .su domains has been implemented in Russia via the Gosuslugi state portal.