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Russia passes law against VPN usage and extremist content search

Date:
Wed, 23 Jul 2025 15:15:23 +0000

Description:
Using a VPN in Russia to access extremist content has become a crime as an
aggravating factor. Here's all you need to know.

FULL STORY

People in Russia are set to face new fines for "searching for or accessing
knowingly extremist materials," including through VPN services. 

Russian Parliament, the State Duma, passed the new law on Tuesday, July 22,
2025, with 306 votes in favor, 67 against, and 22 abstaining -- as reported by
Russian Independent news outlet Meduza . 

The law has so far attracted strong criticism, even among pro-government
figures, according to Reuters . Digital rights experts are also raising the
alarm.

Russia VPN -- what's changing with the new law?

A virtual private network (VPN) is a crucial tool for people in Russia, thanks
to its IP-spoofing capabilities that allow bypassing of government-imposed
geo-restrictions, as well as strong encryption to help fight back against
online surveillance.

The Kremlin's fight against VPN usage certainly isn't new. As more people in
Russia have turned to VPN apps to bypass ever-stricter internet
censorship, authorities have been doing their best to prevent this. 

From deploying sophisticated VPN blocking techniques in March 2024, the
government introduced for the first time a law to criminalize the spread of
information about ways to circumvent internet restrictions. 

That's likely the basis that led the Kremlin's infamous censorship body
regulator Roskomnadzor, to issue VPN removal demands against the Big Tech
giant. Apple was the most complainant of the lot, killing at least 60 VPN 
apps , including the popular Russian service Amnezia VPN , from July 2024
onwards alone. 

Now, the new law introduces additional penalties for violating rules on VPN
usage. This means that advertising VPN services can now cost individuals
between 50,000-80,000 rubles ($640-$1,020). This rises to 80,000-150,000 rubles
($1,020-$1,900) for officials, and 200,000-500,000 rubles ($2,550-$6,380) for
legal entities. 

As Meduza reported, lawmakers also adopted a provision that makes using a VPN
to access extremist content "a crime as an aggravating factor."

How Russia's new law affect VPN users?

According to the Kremlin, banning the online search of so-called extremist
content comes as an alternative to completely blocking foreign platforms. 

"In our understanding, this [the adoption of the bill] allows us to strike a
balance: on the one hand, to prevent the further dissemination of extremist
materials, [and] on the other hand, to refrain from blocking major Western
platforms for now," said Minister of Digital Development, Communications and
Mass Media Maksut Shadayev  Interfax reported . 

Crucially, Shadayev also assures that "ordinary users will not be affected,"
despite failing to explain how. 

This assurance isn't, however, convincing digital rights experts who now fear
stronger repercussions against dissidents. 

Talking to The Moscow Times , co-founder of Russian digital advocacy group
Roskomsvoboda, Sarkis Darbinyan said: "If you have a VPN on your phone, that
alone might be enough to trigger a deeper check. Eventually, we could see
criminal charges for VPN use after just one or two warnings  like with the 
law on foreign agents." 

It's also worth mentioning that the highly popular WhatsApp app is now likely
to be restricted in Russia.

======================================================================
Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-privacy-security/russia-passes-law-against-v
pn-usage-and-extremist-content-search

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