Russia Is Working Harder to Take Down VPNs

No big surprise here. Dictatorships hate human rights, chief among them privacy. As the Russian news agency Interfax reported in December 2024, Russia had previously banned 197 VPN apps.

Now a Russian journalist has reportedly tallied another 47 requests. Roskomnadzor, the Russian agency for monitoring (and censoring) mass media is tightening the screws on its war to keep the Russian population away from tech that could prevent the Russian government from snooping on its citizens’ internet usage.

Take a look at my guide to the Best VPNs to Protect Your Online Security for suggestions on which VPNs to choose—and which to avoid. You can even use a stellar free version of ProtonVPN, if you don’t feel like laying down any money

what a vpn does for you

VPN stands for virtual private network. Acting as a middleman, it routes all the information exchange between you and other websites’ servers on the internet, in both directions, through a server owned by the VPN service.

Should a website or a bad actor try to follow you across the web, they won’t see your unique, identifiable IP address, only that of the VPN server you’re connected to. Since these are shared servers—any decent VPN will have thousands of servers to choose from—you disappear into the crowd if a data thief or snoop tries to eavesdrop on your digital trail.

Any decent desktop VPN for use on a computer can be downloaded directly from its company’s website (don’t download it from unofficial sources; always go straight to the real thing). That’s one way to sidestep the VPN app store ban.

Phones and tablets are tougher because their operating systems are less sandbox compared to computers, more walled garden. Especially Apple’s iOS and iPadOS. It may be that you’re restricted to use your VPN—and thus most free—on a laptop or desktop computer, then.

Governmental blocks aren’t the only challenges to VPNs. Many websites are growing increasingly sophisticated at detecting those who’re connected to their websites through a VPN. With NordVPN, my current favorite, there is a way to fight against some of the technology that’s being rolled out to detect and stymy those who use VPNs.

It’s called NordWhisper, and it comes at no added cost. It won’t do anything to address Russia’s efforts to remove VPN apps from app stores, but it’ll help with some of the VPN blockers that many websites have begun to employ.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation, an international non-profit focused on digital privacy rights, has an explainer about choosing the right VPN for you if you need any more help selecting one.