VK Starts Dropping vk.com for vk.ru

VK has begun moving VKontakte users from vk.com to vk.ru, telling them that the social network’s services will eventually remain available only on the Russian domain. On July 16, the company sent notifications asking users to open the service through the new address.

According to VK, nothing changes for users apart from the domain: the interface, apps, and features stay the same. In the mailing, the company attributed the switch to “technical nuances.” VK also said vk.ru is “always available” and opens and runs faster than vk.com.

RBC, citing the holding company’s press office, reported that the service is finishing its move to the Russian domain and will from now on support availability only in the .ru zone. For most users, that may look like a simple address swap. In practice, the transition is broader.

If support for vk.com is actually shut down, the impact will go beyond browser bookmarks. Links in communities, ad accounts, media articles, and integrations where VKontakte URLs were entered manually would also need updating. For a platform of VK’s size, the pain point is the sheer number of legacy links already embedded across its ecosystem.

The decision comes as pressure on the broader VK ecosystem increases. Earlier reports said the Max messenger, along with VK and Odnoklassniki apps, had been removed from Google Play. Before that, on July 13, the European Union imposed sanctions on VK and the legal entity behind Max.

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Against that backdrop, the move to vk.ru looks less like a rebrand than an effort to reduce dependence on an address that could create extra access risks. The unresolved question is when vk.com will be turned off. If VK completes the migration later this year, brands, public page administrators, and developers may all need to manually update old materials, landing pages, and apps.