- Russia plans to block 92% of VPNs by 2030
- Millions of funds earmarked to build permanent censorship infrastructure
- New taxes and screening rules tighten the net even further
Russian media regulator Roskomnadzor has set an ambitious and alarming goal: to block 92% of all virtual private network (VPN) services operating in the country by 2030.
This directive, first discovered by Russian independent journalist Maria Kolomychenko, and reported by the Russian version of Radio Free Europe, marks a major escalation in the Kremlin’s long-standing effort to control what its citizens see online and isolate them from open access to the Internet.
The most important thing is that the plan is already funded. Federal budget laws have set aside approximately 20 billion rubles a year starting in 2025 to build the necessary technical infrastructure for these blocks. according to Kolomychenko. Even the best VPN services face a growing maze of technical and legal obstacles across the country.
The infrastructure behind the 92% goal
The 2030 target is driven by the Automated System for Security Delivery (ASBI), which manages TSPUs, specialized hardware gatekeepers installed directly within Internet service providers. These devices inspect data packets in real time to identify and block VPN traffic based on specific signatures.
The grant document allocates approximately 20 billion rubles per year for the operation of ASBI. This figure corroborates a report from September 2024 that authorities intended to will spend 60 billion rubles (about $650 million) over the next five years to upgrade its Internet blocking system.
A critical detail is that the Russian government has not defined what “92% effective” actually means. Kolomychenko noted that it could refer to the number of VPN apps removed from stores, the volume of traffic blocked, or the percentage of people unable to connect.
This marks a fundamental change in the way Russia governs the Internet. Instead of going after individual services one by one, the state is now investing money in the underlying network layer to build a permanent filter.
By placing these filters directly in the network path, Roskomnadzor aims to make bypassing blockages a constant uphill battle for users.
A growing wave of Internet restrictions
While the 2030 plan sets the stage for long-term isolation, the situation for Russian Internet users is already worsening.
Since the invasion of Ukraine, censorship has expanded from specific news outlets to Aimed at major social media platforms and messaging tools.
Millions of websites have been blocked, and starting in 2025, authorities began cutting off mobile Internet in entire regions. They also officially blocked important platforms such as WhatsApp and Telegram.
So far, more than 400 VPN services have been banned and more than 1,000 restricted, according to another Russian journalist, Aleksandar Djokic. This, despite the fact that it is still legal to use a VPN in Russia.
Russia’s Roskomnadzor has set a goal of achieving 92% VPN blocking effectiveness by 2030, with around 20 billion rubles allocated annually for blocking infrastructure, according to a January subsidy document. More than 1,000 VPN services have already been blocked and, since April 15, important…May 5, 2026
The game has moved beyond simple blocking to include active detection and financial punishment.
As of April 15, 2026, major Russian service providers are legally required to detect whether a user is connected via a VPN, raising concerns about data privacy and potential future profiling.
At the same time, the Ministry of Digital Development is also pushing for a new “foreign traffic tax”. It would charge mobile users 150 rubles per gigabyte for any data over the 15GB monthly limit. This fee, which has faced technical delays, affects the international routes that VPNs depend on, making it too expensive for most people to bypass the blocks.
When these measures are combined with ASBI technical updates, the result is a complete restriction of user access. This makes escaping censorship not only a technical headache, but an expensive and even risky gamble.
