The Kremlin’s crackdown on VPNs is escalating. Here’s what Meduza readers in Russia have to say about it.

On March 30, Russian media reported that the Digital Development Ministry, acting on instructions from either the FSB or Vladimir Putin himself, is preparing a new set of restrictive measures targeting VPN services — from making them harder to purchase through the App Store to raising fees on international traffic and possibly introducing administrative penalties for using VPNs (which aren’t currently illegal). Against the backdrop of mobile Internet shutdowns, “white lists,” and blocks on WhatsApp and Telegram, this latest push against VPNs looks especially alarming. Meduza asked its readers in Russia what they think about the situation. Here are some of the most notable responses, translated into English.

Alexey

Rostov region

To hell with it. That’s what. Ten to 15 years of my life down the drain. I’m a developer — what the hell am I supposed to do with “white lists”? My work depends entirely on access to the Internet. And the worst part is the total lack of stability: today you’re forced to change professions, tomorrow the authorities will come up with some new nonsense. I’m almost 30 — I have to pay for utilities, food, my car. I didn’t want to leave for a long time: all my social ties and family are here. And abroad you’re always going to be an outsider. But I guess it’s time to start seriously thinking about it. And that’s coming from someone who’s never been a die-hard revolutionary or an opponent of the government. Telling, isn’t it?

Viktor

Moscow

If you set emotions aside, the measures being introduced still look more like inconveniences — at least for people with basic computer skills, and there are still plenty of those in Russia. Blocking is an arms race. A huge number of enthusiasts are already involved in building access to a free Internet. They’ll keep looking for workarounds, developing new methods of obfuscation and traffic routing.

The state inevitably faces a choice: either inflict serious damage on its own economy or tolerate the existence of “illegitimate” traffic. […] There’s a sense that even the people behind these measures don’t fully understand their consequences. In that sense, the idea of total restrictions is like Swan Lake — a signal of the final stage. So the question now isn’t so much how to respond to each new restriction, but how to build your own sustainable access infrastructure and watch where this leads. Given how fast things are moving, I don’t think we have long to wait.

Anonymous

Krasnodar Krai

Since they started censoring things, I’ve gone from being technically clueless to running my own VPN service for friends and relatives. I now have four servers in different locations, spend several thousand rubles a month on them, and half my weekends setting everything up just to keep up with the blocking.

Protocols that worked four years ago now seem completely laughable and useless. I bought a router, installed custom firmware, and set it up so that on my home Wi-Fi, all Russian traffic goes directly, while foreign traffic is routed through a proxy. Four years ago, I didn’t even know this was possible. And I’m far from the only one.

It would be much cheaper and easier to just buy ready-made solutions, but they’re getting blocked and banned more and more often. Running your own servers is expensive, but it gives you at least some sense of independence — and helps keep the anxiety in check. Simple protocols have evolved into advanced solutions borrowed from Chinese and Iranian colleagues. One server has turned into four, and a basic admin panel into a powerful system, including one that could be used commercially.

Today I bought another server in Russia and configured it to route traffic to my foreign servers. In theory, that should help bypass the upcoming 15-gigabyte cap on foreign traffic. And still, I can’t be sure the Internet won’t collapse entirely, or that these “temporary” white lists won’t become permanent. Maybe I’ll come up with something else. Maybe I won’t. But for now, I’m one step ahead. The Internet is full of guides, forums, and specialized chats. With the help of neural networks — not without some pain — you can figure all of this out. Keep fighting, you’re not alone. This isn’t just a Russian problem anymore — there’s a huge, multilingual community working on ways to bypass censorship in different countries.

Bogdan

Smolensk

I’ve been swallowing Kremlin bullshit since the Bolotnaya protests. The screws kept tightening, and I just kept waiting for a miracle, coming up with excuses — telling myself there was nothing I could do, that I couldn’t even leave. I swallowed everything: Crimea, political murders and poisonings, the constitutional “reform,” forced [COVID-19] vaccinations, the marginalization of LGBTQ+ people, and this big, unjust war. But I can’t accept losing access to free information. I’m packing my bags for a country in Latin America.

Lev

Kaliningrad region

On the one hand, every new block just adds more anger and bitterness. But on the other, even pro-war activists are starting to complain about the authorities more often — sometimes even naming names. A couple of years ago, most people I knew were either neutral or supportive. Now it’s almost impossible to find anyone who’s even neutral. The barrier to joining the pro-war camp has risen sharply. It’s no longer just about choosing to support the war — you also have to accept the restrictions. And that’s something very few people are willing to do.