Overview
- Digital minister Maksut Shadayev said the government’s goal is to reduce VPN usage and that limits will aim to spare regular users.
- He said decisions have been made to restrict access to unnamed foreign platforms, though no specifics were released.
- Officials have stepped up controls in recent months by blocking WhatsApp, slowing Telegram, and jamming mobile internet in major cities.
- The Kremlin argues foreign platforms broke Russian law and says mobile data curbs help counter large drone attacks.
- VPNs route traffic through private servers to dodge blocks, yet more than 400 services had been cut off by mid-January as users kept switching tools to stay online.