.su

Overview

• .su is the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) originally designated for the Soviet Union.
• It was introduced on 19 September 1990 and remains active despite the dissolution of the USSR.
• The domain is administered by the Russian Institute for Public Networks (RIPN / RosNIIROS).
• Typical actual use includes entities connected with post‑Soviet states and niche uses (for example, sites about the Unix "su" command).

History

• Assigned by IANA on 19 September 1990 for the Soviet Union.
• Initially a different label (.ussr) had been considered; the .su proposal is attributed to Finnish student Petri Ojala.
• After the Soviet Union dissolved in December 1991, successor ccTLDs were created (Russia received .ru in 1994), but .su was retained at the request of Russian authorities and users.
• ICANN has attempted to retire .su in the past, but the zone continued to operate. In March 2025 ICANN reportedly notified the domain operator of a planned phase-out by 2030.
• As of early 2025 the zone size is about 111,000–112,000 registered domains (111,695 reported 3 Feb 2025; over 112,000 reported March 2025).

Usage and Audience

• Intended audience: institutions and entities connected with the former Soviet Union.
• Actual audience: primarily registrants in Russia and the United States, organizations with roots in former Soviet republics, and some niche technical communities.
• The zone has attracted use by hackers, cybercriminals, scammers and some deplatformed extremist sites; this reputation stems from historically relaxed or outdated terms of use and lower focus compared with larger zones such as .ru.
• Notable groups that have used .su domains include pro‑Russian separatist entities (for example, Donetsk People's Republic) and formerly some far‑right / deplatformed sites.

Registration Rules

• Registry: Russian Institute for Public Networks (RIPN / RosNIIROS).
• Registrations are permitted directly at the second level.
• Restrictions: passport required (per registry information).
• Dispute policy: None (as reported in registry information).
• DNSSEC: enabled for the .su zone.

SEO and Brand Impact

• The .su extension carries legacy and geopolitical connotations tied to the Soviet Union.
• Because the zone is known for misuse by cybercriminals and has had relatively relaxed terms, domains under .su may raise trust and brand concerns for mainstream audiences.
• Usage is small compared with .ru (reported at only a few percent relative usage), which can affect perception, reach and discoverability for commercial or mainstream brands.

Notable Cases or Examples

• The zone has been reported to host a range of malicious activities over time; registry and security organizations have taken steps since about 2013 to address abuse and provide mechanisms for timely suspension of malicious domains.
• Some high‑profile or controversial sites and organizations have used .su domains, including media reports of extremist or deplatformed websites and separatist administrative portals.
• In March 2025, reports indicated ICANN moved to retire the Soviet‑era .su ccTLD with a planned phase‑out date of 2030.

% IANA WHOIS server
% for more information on IANA, visit http://www.iana.org
% This query returned 1 object

domain:       SU

organisation: Russian Institute for Development of Public Networks (ROSNIIROS)
address:      1, Kurchatov Sq.
address:      Moscow 123182
address:      Russian Federation (the)

contact:      administrative
name:         ROSNIIROS
organisation: Russian Institute for Development of Public Networks (ROSNIIROS)
address:      1, Kurchatov Sq.
address:      Moscow 123182
address:      Russian Federation (the)
phone:        +7 499 196 49 84
fax-no:       +7 499 196 49 84
e-mail:       su-adm@ripn.su

contact:      technical
name:         Technical Center of Internet
organisation: Technical Center of Internet
address:      8 Marta street 1, bld 12
address:      Moscow 127083
address:      Russian Federation (the)
phone:        +7 495 730 29 69
fax-no:       +7 495 730 29 68
e-mail:       ru-tech@tcinet.ru

nserver:      A.DNS.RIPN.NET 193.232.128.6 2001:678:17:0:193:232:128:6
nserver:      B.DNS.RIPN.NET 194.85.252.62 2001:678:16:0:194:85:252:62
nserver:      D.DNS.RIPN.NET 194.190.124.17 2001:678:18:0:194:190:124:17
nserver:      E.DNS.RIPN.NET 193.232.142.17 2001:678:15:0:193:232:142:17
nserver:      F.DNS.RIPN.NET 193.232.156.17 2001:678:14:0:193:232:156:17
ds-rdata:     31297 8 2 8e99a2b6a72a2b07f2accd5a51499f0cb02338aa42da32ac2617856a114c2154

whois:        whois.tcinet.ru

status:       ACTIVE
remarks:      Registration information: 

created:      1990-09-19
changed:      2025-08-21
source:       IANA