Ten VPN services told reporters that restrictions on their services tightened during the week after Russia’s State Duma elections, according to a September 29, 2026 report by Meduza, citing Verstka. The accounts document a fresh escalation reported by providers, not a nationwide measurement—and they do not establish that the election caused the blocking.
What VPN providers reported after the election
Meduza reported that ten unnamed VPN services said restrictions had intensified over the preceding week. Verstka did not identify the services, citing security reasons. The reports describe separate providers’ experiences; they do not show how many people lost access or what share of VPN traffic in Russia was affected.
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Disruptions reported by individual services
- One of the largest and best-known services emailed users on September 25 that blocking had intensified from the start of that week and peaked that day, disrupting access for many users.
- Another service said restrictions began on September 21 and that its team replaced eight servers in five days.
- Two other services said Roskomnadzor had blocked all their international server locations and the IP addresses of all their servers.
These figures and descriptions come from provider statements reported by Meduza; they are not independently verified measurements of the whole Russian market.
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The timing puts the reported escalation in the week after the State Duma elections, but the available accounts do not show that the vote triggered it. Alexey Kozlyuk, chairman of the VPN Guild, told Meduza that pressure had been mounting since early August and described the latest restrictions as “a continuation and gradual intensification” of that campaign. He also said some services had not experienced an increase in pressure.
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That distinction matters: the reports support a post-election tightening reported by some providers, not a proven election-linked order or a sudden, uniform national shutdown.
How the blocking campaign has been changing
The September reports sit within a longer campaign against circumvention tools. Human Rights Watch (HRW), in a September 24, 2026 account, described both network restrictions and pressure on app distribution. It cited Exploit’s August 4 report that 20 VPN providers in Russia had experienced service disruptions.
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Blocking larger parts of the network
HRW relayed an affected provider’s account that recent blocking targeted large IP ranges, including entire subnets assigned by hosting providers. Blocking a broad range can affect many servers at once; the provider said recovering from this approach takes more time and money than responding to earlier, more granular blocking. The account describes that provider’s experience, not a technical audit of every Russian network or service.
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App removals and detection inside apps
Restrictions are not limited to network infrastructure. HRW reported that Apple removed 1,213 applications in response to Russian government requests in 2025, based on Apple transparency data. Of those removed apps, 468 were categorized as “utility,” a broad category that includes VPNs; the figure does not mean all 468 were VPNs. HRW also listed several VPN apps removed from Apple’s Russian App Store in March 2026.
Separately, HRW said that in April 2026 the Ministry of Digital Development instructed more than 20 major internet companies to collect information on clients’ VPN use and deny access to services when VPN connections were detected. RKS Global’s April 2026 technical report examined 30 popular Russian apps using static APK analysis: 22 detected VPN use, and 19 were confirmed to send VPN status to a server. Those findings apply to the report’s 30-app sample, not to all Russian apps.
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What the government says its authority is
In an April 27, 2026 letter, the Ministry of Digital Development said Roskomnadzor may restrict access to VPN services that do not meet legal requirements under centralized management of public communications networks. The ministry cited Article 65.1 of the Communications Law and rules approved by Government Resolution No. 1667. This is the ministry’s stated legal position; it is not an independent finding that the restrictions comply with human-rights law.
The same letter said measures were being taken against use of VPN services that did not meet legal requirements. It also said parameters for additional charges on international traffic were still being developed at the time. The letter therefore does not establish that such a charge had taken effect.
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What this means for people using VPNs in Russia
Availability is likely to vary by service, network, and time: the reports include providers facing severe disruption and others that, according to Kozlyuk, saw no increase in pressure. The sources available here do not establish which VPNs work in Russia now, and no current service test supports a recommendation. A service that worked on one connection or on one day may not work elsewhere or later.
Repeatedly switching services can also create privacy and security risks. HRW warned that users may turn to providers that store data without consent or share it with Russian authorities. It said services that do not collect client logs or transfer data to authorities can protect communications privacy, but that does not verify any particular provider’s practices or present-day availability.
Anyone assessing a service should look for clear, credible information about logging, data sharing, and transparency rather than treating a promise of access as proof of privacy. The reports document a changing enforcement environment; they do not establish a durable technical workaround.
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What the reports establish—and what they do not
| Reported figure | What it describes | Source and qualification |
|---|---|---|
| 10 VPN services | Services that said restrictions tightened during the preceding week. | Meduza, citing Verstka, September 29, 2026; a reported count, not an independent market census. |
| 8 servers in 5 days | Servers replaced by one provider after restrictions began, according to the provider. | Provider statement reported by Meduza in September 2026. |
| 20 VPN providers | Providers reported to have faced service disruptions. | Exploit, August 4, 2026, as cited by HRW. |
| 22 of 30 apps; 19 sending VPN status | Apps in which VPN detection was found, and apps confirmed to send status to a server. | RKS Global, April 2026 static APK analysis of 30 popular Russian apps; sample-specific, not an estimate for all apps. |
| 1,213 removals; 468 utility apps | Applications removed in response to Russian government requests in 2025; the utility subset includes but is not limited to VPNs. | Apple transparency figures relayed by HRW. |
Taken together, these accounts show that some providers encountered tighter restrictions after the election, against a broader backdrop of network blocking, app-store removals, and efforts to detect VPN connections. They do not establish a single cause, a uniform nationwide level of disruption, or a VPN that can be relied on to work now.
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