- A Russian official has announced plans to “reduce VPN use” in the country
- The move includes new blocking obligations for websites and fees for users
- Russia’s ongoing “major crackdown” is also targeting Telegram
Russia has unveiled a new strategy to prevent citizens from using VPNs to bypass state-imposed blocks, including those affecting popular messaging app Telegram.
In a letter shared on the state-controlled MAX app — originally reported by Pakinomist — Digital Development Minister Maksut Shadaev said the government’s “task is to reduce VPN use.”
Shadaev’s announcement also confirmed plans to restrict access to several foreign platforms, although the minister did not confirm which services would be affected.
Russian news outlet Kommersant reports that major digital platforms will soon be required to block users identified as using a VPN. Failure to comply could result in a platform being removed from the country’s “whitelist” – an official register of approved websites accessible to the Russian public.
According to Forbes Russia, Shadaev also met with major telecom operators to discuss the introduction of a fee for VPN use. Specifically, the government is considering a surcharge for users who exceed 15 GB of international data per month.
During these discussions, Shadaev reportedly weighed the possibility of imposing administrative sanctions for using circumvention tools, although sources told Forbes that the minister expressed hope that such punitive measures could be avoided.
This development follows news that Apple has removed several custom VPN clients from the Russian App Store at the request of state media regulator Roskomnadzor.
As of January 2026, data from Kommersant suggests that Roskomnadzor has already restricted more than 400 VPN services in Russia, representing a 70% increase compared to autumn 2025.
Inside Russia’s “Big Attack”
While the Internet in Russia has long been under tight control, the Kremlin has significantly increased controls in recent weeks.
Unnamed foreign diplomats in Russia have described the events as “the great repression”, in which residents of Moscow and St. Petersburg has lost mobile connectivity completely over the past fortnight, while public Wi-Fi hotspots in both cities have suffered severe throttling.
The turning point started with the state’s blocking of Telegram. As one of the last major platforms still operating relatively freely in the country, Telegram boasts an estimated 95 million users in Russia.
That massive reach is why the blockade campaign has drawn unprecedented criticism from a rare coalition of the public, military officials and even senior politicians, according to reports from the New York Times.
However, Putin shows no signs of backing down. In February 2026, the Russian parliament passed a law giving the Federal Security Service (FSB) the power to order targeted communications blackouts at will.
While the use of a virtual private network (VPN) is not yet technically illegal, the path for the Kremlin’s digital policy is clear. And with that, the battle against VPNs seems to be intensifying.
Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews and opinions in your feeds. Be sure to click the Follow button!
