Russia blocks almost 200 VPN services, but the Kremlin still wants to use them
$145 million already spent this year on VPNs for Russian government
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Almost 200VPN services– 197 to be precise – are now blocked in Russia. An official of the country’s infamous censor body, Roskomnadzor, proudly announced the total on Thursday, October 24, 2024, as reported by Russiannews agency Interfax.
Ironically, though, authorities want to keep using this popular security software. As Russia’s independent news outletNovaya Gazeta reported, the Kremlin has spent over 14 billion rubles (about $145 million) this year to purchase VPN connections for government use.
A VPN, short forvirtual private network, is a security tool that encrypts users' internet connections and masks their real IP address location. The second of these features is particularly useful to Russians who wish to use VPNs to bypass stringent internet restrictions – exactly what the authorities are seeking to prevent.
In fact, Sergey Khutortsev, the Roskomnadzor official, said specifically that the authorities have only banned VPN services “used as a means of bypassing blocking”.
The fight against VPN in Russia
Roskomnadzor’s fight against these apps is nothing new but the scale of Russia’s VPN blocking efforts is definitely intensifying.
Thefirst mass VPN blocking campaigntook place in 2021, with the likes ofExpressVPN,NordVPN, andIPvanishall falling foul of Russia’s reach at that time. Things took another step on after the war in Ukraine began in 2022.
BothFreedom HouseandReporters Without Borders (RSF)classify Russia as one of the worst countries for internet freedom due to high levels of internet censorship. All major social media platforms are blocked along with an ever-growing list of websites that include news sites and even official sites of some VPN providers.
2024 has been a big year for the Kremlin’s crusade againstVPNs in Russia. Since March, anew lawhas criminalized the spread of information about ways to circumvent internet restrictions – VPNs included.
About60 VPN apps silently disappearedfrom the Apple App Store in Russia between early July and September, bringing the total to 98 unavailable applications in the Big Tech giant’s official store.
In September 2024, authorities also announced plans toinvest over half a billion US dollarsto beef up its censorship system against VPN usage.
If you’re living in, or planning to visit, Russia anytime soon, it would be a good idea to take a look at ourbest free VPNguide. Download a selection of free VPNs and then you’ll be able to hop from one to another if any blocks arise. Tools likeTor Browser andFreeBrowser(Android only) can also help you bypass restrictions and they are completely free to use as well.
Chiara is a multimedia journalist committed to covering stories to help promote the rights and denounce the abuses of the digital side of life—wherever cybersecurity, markets and politics tangle up.She mainly writes news, interviews and analysis on data privacy, online censorship, digital rights, cybercrime, and security software, with a special focus on VPNs, for TechRadar Pro, TechRadar and Tom’s Guide. Got a story, tip-off or something tech-interesting to say? Reach out to chiara.castro@futurenet.com
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