This problem definitely has to be solved. Enabling VPN is not a solution. It takes some time to investigate a possible ways to solve that.

I'm going to write about this here after new information appears.

Does anyone have any progress on solving this issue?

I just think, how other TMDb API users works around with similar problems in their countries?

I mean, what directions of solving this issue can be (except calling the ISP).

Suppose, ISP will confirm that resource is blocked. Whats next?

question to MxmKtv: 2 days ago all worked ok. Why now not? I just tried installing another browser with own VPN (OPera). The result is the same. Wich VPN do you use?

to nk11dev: ok. i wonder what they have to say...

@7720@bk.ru said:

question to MxmKtv: 2 days ago all worked ok. Why now not? I just tried installing another browser with own VPN (OPera). The result is the same. Wich VPN do you use?

I tried to send requests through the application and after switching to the mobile network, everything worked. So yes, most likely it's the provider.

Hey guys,

It looks like this block might only affect a single one of the nodes our API is on, which is why sometimes it works and other times it doesn't. The way CloudFront serves up traffic is by balancing requests across a number of rotating nodes. This is all automatic, and handled by CloudFront and is not something we have any control over.

It sounds like Russia has blocked at least one of the nodes that api.themoviedb.org is currently serving request from. It's actually a node in Finland, but is likely the closest node for most of you. For a visualization of what I mean, head over to this page and click the "search" button: https://dnschecker.org/country/ru/#A/api.themoviedb.org

The IP we know to be blocked is 13.33.240.129. I'm currently seeing that IP being returned in Vladivostok and Malakhovka, but that could vary with each request. As I mentioned, there could be more but this is the one we have some validation around at the moment.

As promised, I am returning with new information.

I just spoke on the phone with a person from Yekaterinburg and we are checking the API from home network of Rostelecom ISP and it works OK without VPN.

Also, we tried Tele2 ISP from phone network and it fails. Switched phone to Rostelecom WI-FI and it works.

If, as a developer of my app, I can use VPN to debug it.

But in production, regular users will not be able to use it normally, because they do not know about access problems.

Is there any successful experience of people who bypassed this problem without introducing into their application complex technical solutions for the implementation of VPN from the inside of the application?

Travis Bell, maybe you have seen successful solutions for cases with this block?

everything is strange and incomprehensible.

Rostelecom (provider)

tracert themoviedb.org [13.32.143.71]
  1    21 ms     1 ms     1 ms  192.168.0.1
  2     5 ms     7 ms     4 ms  1.36.32.95.dsl-dynamic.vsi.ru [95.32.36.1]
  3     5 ms     4 ms     5 ms  213.59.232.210
  4     *        *        *     Timed out request
 30     *        *        *    Timed out request.

api.themoviedb.org [13.33.240.55]

  1    <1 мс     3 ms    <1 мс  192.168.0.1
  2     4 ms     4 ms     4 ms  1.36.32.95.dsl-dynamic.vsi.ru [95.32.36.1]
  3     *        *        *     Timed out request
 30     *        *        *     Timed out request.

Thanks EVERYONE, guys. (i' m going to sleep)

very strange: through the Opera browser i can go to the api.themoviedb.org and the requests is processed. BUT THROUGH GOOGLE HROM NOT. requests through AndroidStudio is also not work.

question to ....: (knows someone who or what the packet route paths depend on? who actoually composes them..... provider or browser? why is the request processed through Opera but no through Chrome? ..... and IS IT POSSIBLE TO SOMEHOW SET UP THE ANDROIDSTUDIO so that it starts receiving a response to the request (like Opera - browser, through which the requst was processed? ))

@MxmKtv said:

I am in Russia and am getting this problem too. I just don't get any responses to api requests.

Could you tell me how you implemented the ability to watch trailers? (now the problem is that the video does not play due to the fact that the user is not in the US. That is, the transition to YouTube is carried out, but the video with the trailer does not play) ************RU *********Не могли бы вы рассказать, как вы реализовали возможность смотреть трейлеры? (сейчас проблема в том, что видео не воспроизводится из-за того, что пользователь находится не в США. То есть переход на YouTube осуществляется, но видео с трейлером не воспроизводится)

Hi, Alexandr Gladevt.

I just not understand how your question about watching video by users not from US is related to this topic?

I guess in this thread we are solving a mass problem with access to TMDb API from Russia. But not such specific issues like watching video by users not from US.

How it related to the thread?

Just like your question about Android Studio above.

I suppose that these are too specific and detailed questions regarding YOUR application and we need to find a more general solution first.

For example, I believe there are different approaches to solve that issue:

1. Something by web server proxying or VPN configurations for web server (like nginx or similar). But to solve issues this way you has to be accessed to it. Which, for example, a assume not suitable way if you use external hosting.
2. Something by you proggramming language platform (java, nodejs, android, etc). I believe that such solutions are extreme measures, because the application has a business purpose and mixing it with the solution of VPN tasks is not the best practice.
3. Something other more elegant solution (bypassing by using some service or whatever there is).

Thats why I asked Travis Bell above about does he seen any trivial solutions. Because I believe that people in other countries have already faced such problems and solved them without bicycle invention if you understand what I mean.

Does you guys have ANY suggestions about possible approaches to solve this problem?

EDIT:

We need a starting point or clue to choose the main direction of solving the problem with minimal impact on existing applications.