Whac-A-Web As Russian authorities tighten censorship controls, will Internet users still be able to bypass new blocks?
The Russian authorities have effectively blocked YouTube in the country, throttling playback speeds to the point where it’s completely unusable without a VPN. At the same time, they’ve added 12 messaging apps to a registry that requires these platforms to store user correspondence and provide it to law enforcement upon request. To understand which services are now risky to use and what new digital crackdowns might be coming, the independent outlet Cherta Media spoke with Mikhail Klimarev, an IT expert and director of the Internet Protection Society. Meduza shares some of his insights.
As the Russian authorities intensify efforts to limit access to foreign platforms, including the near-total throttling of YouTube, IT expert Mikhail Klimarev estimates that more than half of the country’s Internet users have turned to VPNs to bypass censorship. However, the government has also begun blocking VPN services themselves. “Popular protocols don’t work anymore,” Klimarev explains, noting that only less common protocols, which mimic other types of Internet traffic, are able to escape detection. And while effective, these methods use more bandwidth and drain device batteries faster.
When asked about new privacy risks now that 12 messaging apps, including WhatsApp, have been added to Russia’s registry of “organizers of information dissemination,” Klimarev points out that, by law, services in the registry must store users’ communications and provide them to security services upon request. If they refuse, they risk being blocked.
However, Klimarev argues there’s no practical way to force WhatsApp, which is owned by Meta — a company banned in Russia as “extremist” — to comply. “Even if WhatsApp wanted to leak something to them, how can the authorities cooperate with a company they’ve declared extremist?” he asks, dismissing the move as largely symbolic and ultimately counterproductive. “These threats are like a gopnik rushing into a square, waving a razor, and shouting, ‘I’ll cut everyone!’ — but only cutting himself in the end,” Klimarev continues. “All these blocks only make things worse for ordinary citizens and businesses.”
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Looking ahead, Klimarev predicts even stricter Internet controls in Russia by 2025. He warns that WhatsApp will likely face the same fate as Viber, which was blocked earlier this year. The ban primarily impacted ordinary citizens, including elderly Russians who relied on the service to call family members in Ukraine and now must use a VPN to stay connected. “YouTube will likely be fully blocked,” Klimarev adds.
Meanwhile, Russia’s federal censorship agency, Roskomnadzor, is developing new methods to block VPN use, this time targeting users directly. A new draft decree requires telecom operators to submit user logs. “If a user’s entire Internet traffic is routed to a single point, it likely means they’re using a VPN. Such users could be completely disconnected from the Internet or have their speed throttled to 128 kilobits per second, making video streaming impossible and limiting them to basic web browsing,” Klimarev explains.
Russian law allows authorities to order service providers to cut off users’ access, Klimarev notes, and “it’s not technically difficult.” “Everything will be automated, and the ‘sovereign RuNet’ will become a reality,” he says.
Klimarev ties these measures directly to Russia’s war against Ukraine, citing the blocking of Viber as an example. “This machine won’t stop,” he warns. “Roskomnadzor employs thousands of people who need something to do, which means they’ll keep finding new ways to enforce censorship.”