In October 2025, The Russian government demanded that Modrinth remove four projects from the site because they are LGBTQIA+ content. If Modrinth did not remove them immediately, the government threatened to block the entire site in Russia. In light of our refusal to take down these projects, the Russian government has made the main Modrinth website inaccessible within Russia.
The contents in question are part of our commitment to free, open, and inclusive modding. Removing them under government censorship goes against our core values. Even though keeping them exposed means we were blocked, we believe censorship is worse than temporary restriction.
At this time, users in Russia have lost access to the Modrinth platform (not just those specific projects). This affects not only people trying to download mods, but also creators who rely on visibility among Russian users.
In light of being blocked, we recommend that Russian users utilize a VPN to access the website, or use the Modrinth App (as the API is not similarly blocked as of 15 October). Steps for finding a useful VPN can be found in the following article: How Russia’s New Internet Restrictions Work and How to Get Around Them.
We believe values like inclusion, free expression, and resisting unjust censorship are non-negotiable. While we regret that Russian users will not be able to use Modrinth services by conventional means, we believe that standing by our values is more worthwhile than capitulating to a discriminatory government.