Anton Nemkin, a member of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy, Information Technologies and Communications, explained that Russia categorically blocks only malicious VPN services that prioritize their own goals over the user’s safety and interests.
He noted that a number of VPNs offered through foreign app stores today run afoul of Russian law because they refuse to filter traffic and shield Russians from harmful content. More often than not, these services chase financial gain, vying for the user’s attention with the inevitable goal of collecting personal data and selling it on the black market or even leaking it to foreign intelligence services. Nemkin stressed that many of these operators do not consider the consequences faced by users.
Nemkin also acknowledged the existence of VPN services that generally treat users fairly.
“Some VPNs do operate with user fairness in mind, yet they still enable access to content that is restricted in the Russian Federation, in defiance of legal requirements. It is important to recognize that resources banned or blocked in Russia face restrictions for a reason: they are often subversive, publish prohibited information, or spread misinformation. VPNs that fail to filter traffic and grant access to such resources clearly warrant blocking,” Nemkin stated.
He added that certain VPN services are employed by businesses to encrypt traffic and prevent interception of internal communications by outsiders.
“The state does not intend to curb legitimate business tooling; services essential to the corporate world that are willing to comply with Russian law can continue to operate safely. If a service is blocked, Roskomnadzor is prepared to engage in dialogue with the companies that require access for legitimate reasons,” Nemkin remarked.
He underscored that only malicious services that refuse to cooperate, resist dialogue, and pursue their own interests at the expense of users are subject to categorical blocking.
Previously, the RIA News outlet reported that the Ministry of Digital Development announced which VPN services would be blocked in Russia, highlighting the regulatory landscape and the government’s intent to align digital tools with national policy.
From a broader perspective, the ongoing discourse around VPNs in Russia reflects a balancing act between safeguarding national information security and enabling legitimate business operations. The government emphasizes the need to protect citizens from harmful content while allowing compliant firms to function within the established legal framework. Observers note that enforcement tends to target services that bypass filtering or masquerade as neutral providers while enabling systemic data exposure. In practice, this means businesses and users alike should remain vigilant about the licensing, filtering capabilities, and transparency of any VPN service they choose to employ, especially when operating across borders or within regulated sectors. Attribution: policy briefings from state authorities and industry analyses quoted by national news agencies.