.ru is the country code TLD for the Russian Federation. Created in 1994, today it has 5+ million registered domains, one of the world's largest country-code TLDs. For Russian-speaking audiences, especially in Russia, .ru conveys local trust.
Who .ru fits
Companies selling into the Russian market. Russian-language content sites. CIS audience (Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan).
Also for Uzbek business — if you export to Russia or serve Russian customers, .ru is useful as an additional site.
.ru advantages
Local SEO in Russia — Yandex ranks .ru sites higher for Russian audiences.
Trust — Russian users perceive .ru as "local and trustworthy".
Local payment integrations — YooMoney, Sber integrations are easy.
.ru drawbacks
International audience limitation — users outside Russia may perceive .ru as "Russian-only".
.ru's reputation has worsened due to recent geopolitical situations (international politics).
Compliance — some international companies decide not to operate with Russia.
Pricing and registration
$5-15/year via international registrars. Available from Russian registrars like RU-CENTER and Reg.ru.
Via Sayt.uz 169,000 sum/year.
No documents required for legal entities, but local registrars like Reg.ru verify passport details.
Sayt.uz practice
11% of Sayt.uz clients register .ru — mostly exporters and those selling to Russia. Tip: if you serve the Russian market, .ru shouldn't be your main domain but an addition (your-company.uz as main, your-company.ru for Russian audience).