Russia claims it has no plans to restrict YouTube or disconnect from the internet.

The minister for digital development said on Tuesday that Russia has no plans to block Alphabet’s YouTube, despite the fact that such a step would undoubtedly harm Russian users and should be avoided.

Russia has blocked other international social media networks, but after months of penalties and threats against YouTube for failing to remove information it considers illegal and blocking access to some Russian media, the country has refrained from dealing a death blow to the video-hosting service.