Russia is set to intensify its crackdown on Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), tools widely used by millions of its citizens to bypass state internet controls and censorship, according to the country’s digital minister.
This move forms part of what diplomats have labelled Russia’s “great crackdown,” during which authorities have repeatedly blocked mobile internet and jammed major messenger services, while also granting themselves sweeping powers to cut off mass communications.
“The task is reduce VPN usage,” Digital Minister Maksut Shadayev stated late on Monday via the state-backed messenger MAX, adding that his ministry aimed to impose these limits with minimal impact on users.
He also confirmed decisions had been made to restrict access to an unspecified number of foreign platforms, though he provided no further details.
Following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Russia introduced some of its most repressive laws since the Soviet era, mandating censorship and bolstering the influence of the Federal Security Service, the primary successor to the KGB.
In recent months, the state has escalated these measures, blocking WhatsApp, slowing down Telegram, and repeatedly jamming mobile internet across Moscow and other cities and regions.
The Kremlin says foreign platforms have failed to abide by the law and that mobile internet restrictions are necessary to counter mass Ukrainian drone strikes.
By mid-January, Russia had blocked more than 400 VPNs, 70 per cent more than late last year, according to the Kommersant newspaper.
But it is a game of cat and mouse: as soon as the authorities take down one VPN, another appears and many young Russians change their VPNs daily, according to Reuters reporters.
Many foreign websites were blocked in early March on mobile phones in central Moscow under restrictions that have gripped the Russian capital for more than a week, derailing the routine of millions of residents and slamming businesses that rely on cellphone internet.
Russian authorities have said the restrictions are part of security measures to fend off Ukrainian drone attacks, but many industry experts suspect they are part of preparations by the authorities to block Russians’ access to the global web if the Kremlin decides to do so.