The .ru zone
.ru is the primary and most familiar zone for Russian projects. It launched in 1994, holds millions of registered domains, and it is the one users expect by default when they visit a Russian company's website. A .ru address is short, easy to read out over the phone and writes without difficulty in Latin characters on any keyboard layout.
Its practical advantages: broad support among registrars, clear rules and a wide choice of services. There is exactly one downside, and a predictable one – good short names in .ru were snapped up long ago, so a desirable domain often has to be bought out from its current owner. If the name you want is taken, a domain broker can help, and you can find out who a domain is registered to using our guide on how to find a domain's owner.
The .рф zone (Cyrillic, IDN)
.рф is Russia's Cyrillic ccTLD – a national domain zone written in Cyrillic letters, launched in 2010. It is what's known as an IDN domain: the name is written in Russian letters, while technically the address is converted into a service form with the xn-- prefix. For the user, this means a fully Russian address such as "компания.рф", which looks good on signage, in advertising and on a business card.
The main advantage of .рф is recognisability and a local feel: such an address immediately signals that the project is Russian and aimed at a local audience. There are noticeably more available names here than in .ru. There are also caveats: Cyrillic is awkward to type on a Latin keyboard layout, it is not always supported in email addresses and foreign services, and browsers may display the domain in its technical form. For that reason .рф is more often taken as a complement to a primary domain rather than as the only address.
The .su zone (historical)
.su is a historical zone, created back in 1990 for the Soviet Union. The country formally ceased to exist long ago, but the zone keeps operating and is managed by a Russian registrar. Today .su is more of an image-driven, niche choice: people use it for retro appeal, for themed projects and sometimes simply because the short name they want happens to be available there.
Bear in mind that .su is less widespread, users are less accustomed to it, and registration and renewal are usually more expensive than in .ru. It is rarely a good fit as the sole address for a large commercial brand, but as an additional or collector's domain it makes good sense.
When to choose which
A simple rule of thumb: .ru is a universal foundation for almost any Russian project, .рф puts the emphasis on a local brand and a Russian-speaking audience, and .su is a niche, image-driven option. It is often sensible to register the name across several zones at once and set up redirection to the primary address, so as not to leave the name to competitors.
Before registering, check whether the name is available in the zones you need using our domain check service. And if you plan to use the domain with state services, clarify the details in advance – our service for linking a domain to Gosuslugi can help.