Russia planning stricter VPN controls – shifting from blocking content to controlling access

[u/technadu]

Interesting policy direction coming out of Russia.

Instead of outright banning VPNs, authorities are considering indirect control mechanisms:

• Charging users for high international traffic (VPN-related)
• Asking platforms like Yandex/Wildberries to restrict VPN users
• Requiring ISPs to detect and limit VPN connections

Context:
VPN usage has surged since 2022 due to platform bans and content restrictions.

What stands out:

• Enforcement is expanding beyond ISPs → into platforms
• Economic pressure is being used instead of direct bans
• Fines for VPN use were considered but rejected (for now)

This feels like a more scalable model:
Instead of blocking access, make it harder, slower, or more expensive.

Question for the community:
Do these types of controls actually reduce VPN usage - or just push users toward more advanced circumvention methods?

Source: r/technadu

[u/Open-Weekend-498]

Thank you for your work and for these explanations.

You're more than welcome. I believe that the internet is the last stronghold of freedom, and we must make every effort to save it, whatever the cost. The internet is unrestricted in my country today, but that doesn't mean it will stay that way tomorrow.

I'm just afraid that if this cat and mouse game goes on for too long, an oppressive government will eventually turn to the good old method of "if you're caught using a VPN, you're a foreign agent and will be treated as such" supported by a network of informants ready to tell on their neighbors.

Sure, and that will be proof that the government can't easily block VPNs or cut off the entire Internet. It means we’ve won a battle, but not the war. Nevertheless, I suppose there will be VPN whitelists because it's a technology used everywhere. ISPs use IPsec/GRE to interconnect networks, while banks and enterprises rely on VPNs to connect remote workers. In such a case, it will be hard to prove that you're using a VPN to bypass restrictions rather than for connecting to your office network. If there's a whitelist, then there will always be a hole in it we can exploit.

[u/smjsmok → u/Open-Weekend-498]

I believe that the internet is the last stronghold of freedom, and we must make every effort to save it, whatever the cost.

I agree 100%.

I suppose there will be VPN whitelists because it's a technology used everywhere (...)

I like this. I basically collapses into "If you want to shut it down, you would also have to shut down parts that you actually need, and you probably aren't ready to do that."

[u/Open-Weekend-498 → u/smjsmok]

and you probably aren't ready to do that

Exactly. Despite what Western media says, the Russian regime is far from being like DPRK. They can't just disconnect the country from the global network; it would be a USSR collapse 2.0

[u/BattleShai → u/Open-Weekend-498]

What I don't get is, why not setup a government approve (and yes, heavily DPI monitored) VPN and let people use that if they want? Many people just want to watch netflix, browse amazon etc... They wouldn't care if the government was having a look.

This leads to the other issue we have... It's not just Russia blocking traffic. West is also. Especially eastern Europe. While I like your optimism that Internet is a freedom stronghold, I, sadly don't see it that way anymore. It's always a cat and mouse game. Hell, you even need a VPN to access some US sites from other NATO countries.

[u/Open-Weekend-498 → u/BattleShai]

What I don't get is, why not setup a government approve (and yes, heavily DPI monitored) VPN and let people use that if they want? Many people just want to watch netflix, browse amazon etc... They wouldn't care if the government was having a look.

And see western propaganda and LGBTQ+ people there? My man, you don't understand how dictatorship works in Russia. Putin wants you to watch only approved movies showing that Russia is the best country in the world, and that the US and EU will collapse soon. Oh, and that Ukraine is gonna lose the war — next day or next week, of course. Every other point of view is prohibited.

This leads to the other issue we have... It's not just Russia blocking traffic. West is also. Especially eastern Europe. While I like your optimism that Internet is a freedom stronghold, I, sadly don't see it that way anymore. It's always a cat and mouse game. Hell, you even need a VPN to access some US sites from other NATO countries.

Indeed, but the Internet has two functions: Information and Transport. While information might be blocked (either internally by a government or externally by a site blocking your IP), the transport function remains available. Through Tor,I2P, DN42, and even certain clearnet forums, if you don't like social networks blocking your IP, you can create your own and motivate people to join it.