.ru
In 1993, Russian officials signed a document titled The order of RU top-level domain administration. This agreement set the stage for all future internet activity in Russia. It assigned administrative and technical support responsibilities to the Russian Institute for Public Networks. That organization would become RIPN. The agreement did not create an immediate website or server. Instead it established a legal framework for what was coming next. A formal launch followed less than one year later on the 7th of April 1994. That date marked the first time .ru existed as a live country code top-level domain.
RIPN managed the early days of the domain until January 2005. On that date the former registry stopped accepting new registrations directly under .ru. RIPN continued to handle operations for second-level domains like .com.ru and .net.ru. In 2002 administrative functions moved from RIPN to CC for TLD RU. RIPN remained involved by supporting centralized technical aspects of the operation. All organizational duties shifted to the Coordination Center. One committee within the new center formed based on the earlier RU Top-Level Domain Coordination Group. This group included leading Russian Internet service providers and scientific networks. They had been entrusted with RU domain administration since the beginning.
A new registration system arrived in 2000 through accredited registrars. It replaced the old centralized model with a distributed approach. Registrars provided services on a first come first served basis to end-users. Testing began in 2001 before full implementation in 2005. More than five million eight hundred ninety-five thousand domains now exist in the zone. Registration is carried out by one hundred thirty-six accredited registrars. The market remains significantly monopolized. Two registrars with a single owner account for more than two-thirds of all domains. This concentration creates a unique landscape for anyone seeking a web address in Russia today.
Direct registration of second-level domains happens frequently across the country. Specialized categories exist for third-level registrations based on organization type or location. .ac.ru serves scientific institutions and higher education. .com.ru handles commercial organizations while .edu.ru covers schools. Government bodies use .gov.ru and the military operates under .mil.ru. International groups find space within .int.ru. Noncommercial entities register via .org.ru. Internet service providers often choose .net.ru. Individuals can apply through .pp.ru. These labels help organize the vast number of addresses into logical groups. The full list appears on the CC for TLD RU website.
Some federal subjects have multiple second-level domains while others have none. Adygea uses .adygeya.ru and Bashkortostan relies on .bashkiria.ru. Buryatia has both .buryatia.ru and .ulan-ude.ru available. Chechnya operates under .grozny.ru. Chuvashia uses .cap.ru. Dagestan claims .dagestan.ru. Kabardino-Balkaria selects .nalchik.ru. Kalmykia adopts .kalmykia.ru. Karachay, Cherkessia uses .kchr.ru. Republic of Karelia offers .karelia.ru and .ptz.ru. Khakassia chooses .khakassia.ru. Komi Republic uses .komi.ru. Mari El provides .mari-el.ru, mari.ru, and .joshkar-ola.ru. Mordovia takes .mordovia.ru. Sakha Republic uses .yakutia.ru. North Ossetia, Alania selects .vladikavkaz.ru. Tatarstan offers .kazan.ru and .tatarstan.ru. Tuva uses .tuva.ru. Udmurtia provides .izhevsk.ru, udmurtia.ru, and .udm.ru.
Altai Krai uses .altai.ru while Kamchatka Krai relies on .kamchatka.ru. Koryak Autonomous Okrug previously used .palana.ru before merging into Kamchatka. Khabarovsk Krai has .khabarovsk.ru and .khv.ru. Kuban region uses .kuban.ru. Krasnoyarsk Krai claims .krasnoyarsk.ru. Perm Krai operates under .perm.ru. Primorsky Krai offers .marine.ru and .vladivostok.ru. Stavropol Krai uses .stavropol.ru and .stv.ru. Zabaykalsky Krai adopts .chita.ru. Amur Oblast uses .amur.ru. Arkhangelsk Oblast claims .arkhangelsk.ru. Astrakhan Oblast takes .astrakhan.ru. Belgorod Oblast uses .belgorod.ru. Bryansk Oblast selects .bryansk.ru. Chelyabinsk Oblast offers .chelyabinsk.ru and .chel.ru. Ivanovo Oblast uses .ivanovo.ru. Irkutsk Oblast claims .irkutsk.ru. Kaliningrad Oblast adopts .koenig.ru. Kaluga Oblast uses .kaluga.ru. Kemerovo Oblast takes .kemerovo.ru. Kirov Oblast provides .kirov.ru and .vyatka.ru. Kostroma Oblast uses .kostroma.ru.
Several domains were created before rules established for geographic second-level names. These had to be grandfathered into the system. .baikal.ru covers the Lake Baikal region. .cmw.ru serves Kislovodsk, Pyatigorsk, Yessentuki, and Zheleznovodsk. .fareast.ru represents the Russian Far East. .jamal.ru covers the Yamal Peninsula. .kms.ru handles Komsomolsk-na-Amure. .k-uralsk.ru serves Kamensk-Uralsky. .kustanai.ru covers Kustanai. .kuzbass.ru represents the Kuznetsk Basin. .magnitka.ru serves Magnitogorsk. .mytis.ru covers Mytischi. .nakhodka.ru handles Nakhodka. .nkz.ru serves Novokuznetsk. .norilsk.ru covers Norilsk. .snz.ru handles Snezhinsk. .oskol.ru serves Stary Oskol. .pyatigorsk.ru covers Pyatigorsk. .rubtsovsk.ru handles Rubtsovsk. .syzran.ru serves Syzran. .tlt.ru covers Tolyatti. .vdonsk.ru handles Volgodonsk.
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Common questions
When did the .ru domain officially launch?
The .ru domain officially launched on the 7th of April 1994. This date marked the first time .ru existed as a live country code top-level domain following an agreement signed in 1993.
Who manages the administrative functions for the .ru domain today?
Administrative functions for the .ru domain moved from RIPN to CC for TLD RU in 2002. The Coordination Center now handles all organizational duties while RIPN continues to support centralized technical aspects.
How many domains exist within the .ru zone currently?
More than five million eight hundred ninety-five thousand domains now exist in the .ru zone. Registration is carried out by one hundred thirty-six accredited registrars who provide services on a first come first served basis.
What second-level domains are available for Russian federal subjects?
Russian federal subjects use specific second-level domains such as .adygeya.ru for Adygea and .bashkiria.ru for Bashkortostan. Other regions include .buryatia.ru, .grozny.ru, and .dagestan.ru among many others listed on the CC for TLD RU website.
Which organizations can register under the .ac.ru domain extension?
The .ac.ru domain serves scientific institutions and higher education entities. Specialized categories like .com.ru handle commercial organizations while .edu.ru covers schools.