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Roskomnadzor, Russia’s communications authority, has banned six popular VPN services in Russia country, which users can use to bypass government Internet restrictions.
According to local media sources, the decision comes as authorities tighten their grip on the Russian internet, restricting access to hundreds of opposition-linked websites ahead of a parliamentary election later this month.
Hola VPN, ExpressVPN, KeepSolid VPN Unlimited, NordVPN, Speedify VPN, and IPVanish VPN are among the “services that break Russian law,” according to the Russian regulator.
In recent years, the Russian government has tightened internet controls under the guise of combating extremism and protecting minors, and has begun constructing a so-called “sovereign internet.”
Here is the statement from an authority,
“The use of services to bypass bans leads to the preservation of access to prohibited information and websites, creates conditions for illegal activities, including those related to the distribution of drugs, child abusive content, extremism, and suicidal tendencies,” the department said in a statement.
“Roskomnadzor has received reports from 64 industry organizations, 27 of which use the aforementioned VPN connections to ensure 33 technological processes. More than 100 IP addresses have been provided with the aim of excluding them from access restriction policies,” it said.
“Using technologies against block bypass services is an effective and justified mechanism,” and “the technological processes of Russian companies included on the white lists have continued their undisrupted operations amid the full blocking of the VPN services that violate the legislation of the Russian Federation,” Roskomnadzor said.
