.su

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Internet country-code top level domain for the Soviet Union

title: ".su" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["computing-in-the-soviet-union", "country-code-top-level-domains", "internet-in-russia", "1990-establishments-in-the-soviet-union", "communications-in-the-soviet-union", "internet-properties-established-in-1990"] description: "Internet country-code top level domain for the Soviet Union" topic_path: "technology/computing" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.su" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Internet country-code top level domain for the Soviet Union ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox top level domain"]

Field	Value
name	.su
image	DotSU domain logo.svg
introduced	19 September 1990
type	Country code top-level domain
status	Active
registry	Russian Institute for Public Networks (РосНИИРОС)
sponsor	Russian Institute for Public Networks (РосНИИРОС)
intendeduse	Entities connected with the Soviet Union
actualuse	Mostly used by entities connected with post-Soviet states
restrictions	Passport required
registereddomains	111,695
dateregistereddomains	3 February 2025
refregistereddomains
structure	Registrations are permitted directly at the second level
document	Documents
disputepolicy	None
website
dnssec	yes
image_size	150px
::

.su is an Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) that was designated for the Soviet Union on 19 September 1990. Even though the Soviet Union itself was dissolved 15 months later, the .su top-level domain remains in use to the present day. It is administered by the Russian Institute for Public Networks (RIPN, or RosNIIROS in Russian transcription).

The .su ccTLD is known for usage by cybercriminals, hackers, and scammers.

History

After 1989 a set of new internet domains was created in Europe, including .pl (Poland), .cs (Czechoslovakia), .yu (Yugoslavia) and .dd (East Germany). Among them, there was also a domain for the USSR – .su. Initially, before two-letter ccTLDs became standard, the Soviet Union was to receive a .ussr domain. The .su domain was proposed by the 19-year-old Finnish student Petri Ojala.

On 26 December 1991 the country was dissolved and its constituent republics gained independence, which should have caused the domain to begin a phase-out process, as happened with those of East Germany, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia. Until 1994 there was no assigned top-level domain name for Russia. For this reason the country continued to use the Soviet domain. In 1994, the .ru domain was created, which was supposed to eventually replace the .su domain (domains for the republics other than Russia were created at different times in the mid-nineties). The domain was supposed to be withdrawn by ICANN, but it was kept at the request of the Russian government and Internet users.

In 2001, the managers of the domain stated that they would commence accepting new .su registrations, but it is unclear whether this action was compatible with ICANN policies. In September 2007, lobbyists stated that they had started negotiations with ICANN on retaining the domain. In March 2025, ICANN reportedly notified the operator of the domain, the Russian Institute for Development of Public Networks (ROSNIIROS), of a planned phase-out of the domain by 2030.

As of March 2025, the .su ccTLD contained over 112,000 domains.{{cite news |url=https://statdom.ru/tld/su/report/summary/ |title=Домены России |accessdate=20 March 2025 |website=Domain Name Wire}}

Usage

The domain was intended to be used by Soviet institutions and companies operating in the USSR. The dissolution of the Soviet Union meant that the new TLD was superseded by the new country TLDs of the former Soviet republics. Despite this, .su is still in use. Most of the .su domains are registered in Russia and the United States. According to data from May 2025, there were over 111,500 registered domains with the .su TLD (there are over 5.895 million .ru domains). Some organizations with roots in the former Soviet Union also still use this TLD. The pro-Russian Ukrainian separatist Donetsk People's Republic have also registered their domain with the TLD. The .su domain, along with .ru briefly hosted white supremacist websites that had been deplatformed elsewhere, including The Daily Stormer. Following complaints from Russia's internet regulator Roskomnadzor however, such websites have been removed from Russian TLDs.

The domain has been reported to host many cybercrime activities due to the relaxed and outdated terms of use, along with staying out of focus (2% usage comparing to the primary .ru zone). Rules for timely suspension of malicious domains have been in place since 2013 in response to the issue.

References

"Общее число доменов {{!}} Домены России".
"IANA — .su Domain Delegation Data".
Patel, Neel V.. (December 2015). "The Bizarre Afterlife of .su, the Domain Name and Last Bastion of the USSR".
Marcin Kryska. "Domena internetowa SU".
link
[https://www.usatoday.com/tech/products/2008-04-18-196687842_x.htm Back in the USSR: Soviet Internet domain name resists death], Mansur Mirovalev, writing for [[Associated Press]], 18 April 2008
Kilner, James. (19 September 2007). "USSR still alive on Internet and won't go quietly".
Allemann, Andrew. (11 March 2025). "ICANN moves to retire Soviet-era .SU country domain name".
[https://www.iana.org/domains/root/db/su.html .su Domain Delegation Data] IANA
(21 September 2007). "Domena .su wciąż używana, chociaż ZSRR już nie ma".
"Домены — статистика регистраций".
(June 2013). "Tons of Hackers are Hanging out in old Soviet Cyberspace". Gizmodo.
"Donetsk People's Republic 'Government' Portal".
Ryan, Fergus. "Why Are Moscow and Beijing Happy to Host the U.S. Far-Right Online?".
(17 Aug 2017). "Russia boots white supremacist website from its internet: report".
(16 Aug 2017). "Russian Web Host Suspends Daily Stormer After Government Inquiry".
Moscow, Associated Press in. (2013-05-31). "Hack in the USSR: cybercriminals find haven in .su domain space".
(31 May 2013). "Old Soviet Union domain name attracts cybercriminal interest".
"Group-IB and Foundation for Internet Development sign an agreement to combat cyber threats in the .SU domain zone".
"Генеральная уборка в домене SU".

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