Yes, certainly.
To start with, the .su domain, sometimes called a TLD or Top Level Domain, was initially assigned as the country code top-level domain for the Soviet Union (SU) in September 1991. However, even after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in December 1991, the .su domain continued to be used.
As delineated by ICANN, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, country code top-level domains (ccTLDs) like .su, are generally used or reserved for a country, sovereign state, or dependent territory identified with a country code. These TLDs are often used to serve the Internet community’s needs that derive from a specific geographical location (ICANN).
The administration of the .su domain is handled by the Russian Institute for Public Networks (RIPN) and the Foundation for Internet Development (FID), which took over in 2007. According to Verisign’s Domain Name Industry Brief, as of the second quarter of 2021, about 130.6 million domain names ended with .com—the most popular TLD, but the .su domain also continues to retain a certain degree of popularity, especially in Russia and former Soviet Union states.
While the use of .su has decreased significantly since the 1990s, with the majority of users transitioning to .ru and other national TLDs, this domain still has its applications. According to statistics from DomainTools, as of February 2022, there were over 118,000 active .su domains. Although .su is no longer actively promoted, it’s sometimes used by entities who want to express nostalgia for the Soviet era, or perhaps a different political viewpoint.
Currently, ICANN is in an ongoing debate about whether to retire ccTLDs that no longer correspond to existing countries, such as .su. However, this debate focuses more on the technical implications of retiring such TLDs, rather than their political or cultural connotations.
In terms of examples, a few popular websites that use the .su domain are e1.su, which is a Russian electronic shop, and tma.su, which is a popular Moscow-based DJ and music producer.
Thus, one can see that .su, while not as prolific or mainstream as TLDs like .com, .net, or .org, still carries a specific history and continues to find relevance today.
Sources used:
1. ICANN (https://www.icann.org/)
2. DomainTools (https://research.domaintools.com/statistics/tld-counts/)
3. Verisign’s Domain Name Industry Brief (https://www.verisign.com/en\_US/domain-names/dnib/index.xhtml)
4. Russian Institute for Public Networks – RIPN (http://www.ripn.net/nic/dns/en/)
5. Foundation for Internet Development – FID (http://www.fid.su/en/)
