We don't know why he was banned, and it's a real problem that you can't get an explanation out of a company in situations like this, but there's a hint:
> “If you accessed GitHub.com while you were visiting Iran, North Korea, Syria, or Crimea, please tell us why you used GitHub.com.”
He may have tripped over the US government sanctions.
I also feel that it's poor taste for a Russian living in an authoritarian state to liken github to the gulag.
Judging by the questions, that is exactly what he has done, and judging by his answers, he knows it but wishes to make GitHub appear to be at fault for reasons of his own.
So. Say, there is a person living in Crimea, so supposedly they're oppressed by the Russian state, suffer from its illegal governing bodies and long for the day Crimea is reunited with Ukraine once again. And the international community and the US, in particular, famous for their human rights championship, do provide their support and compassion to this person, for instance, by prohibiting them from having business or semi-business transactions or relations with any commercial companies and firms under their jurisdiction. Wait, what?
The ire at such situation can be of basically of two forms: "I wish this damned government didn't antagonize the rest of the world", and "I wish those bloody foregners didn't antagonize this country". And if the person doesn't actually suffer from any repressions from the occupying country, the first raction is unlikely, especially after 6 years of being surrounded by the state propaganda.
> I also feel that it's poor taste for a Russian living in an authoritarian state to liken github to the gulag.
I'm not saying that to defend Russia, but here the authoritarian state imposing unilateral sanctions to individuals and companies of a few selected states is the US... This is also sometimes done against EU companies as well. This needs to change.
> I also feel that it's poor taste for a Russian living in an authoritarian state to liken github to the gulag.
If Microsoft is no better than Roskomnadzor (and in this case it isn't), than he's rightfully doing so. Russian government being shitty is no excuse for the US government or US companies to be shitty as well.
Or may be Github geodata bugged and registered him in Crimea. May be your US provider will buy IP block which was used in Crimea yesterday and you'll get banned for the same reason. Fascinating.
> “If you accessed GitHub.com while you were visiting Iran, North Korea, Syria, or Crimea, please tell us why you used GitHub.com.”
He may have tripped over the US government sanctions.
I also feel that it's poor taste for a Russian living in an authoritarian state to liken github to the gulag.