Will VPN Services be Blocked?

The head of the Secure Internet League, Ekaterina Mizulina, has confirmed reports that VPN services are set to be blocked in Russia starting March 1, 2024.

“Yes, most likely, that is the case. Anonymizers and VPN services cannot be completely blocked. Each of us can create our own anonymizer at home. I think it's very complex. There's nothing complicated about it for a knowledgeable person,” she said, responding to a relevant question. This was reported by Komsoмol’skaya Pravda.

At the same time, Mizulina noted that it is impossible to 100% restrict such services. The focus is only on blocking large services that cater to a significant number of users. According to the head of the Secure Internet League, VPN applications in the background can gather information from devices and affect smartphone battery drain rates. Fraudsters may exploit personal information accessed through VPN services. In this regard, the state has decided to block such services.

Earlier, it was reported that Ekaterina Mizulina allegedly stated during a lecture for school students that VPN services will be banned in Russia on March 1, 2024.