Russian authorities have introduced new measures to restrict digital communications and control the domestic information environment. On July 4, 2024, several virtual private network (VPN) apps were removed from the Russian version of the App Store at the request of Roskomnadzor, Russia’s communications regulator, the British Ministry of Defense said in its July 6 news release.
On the same day, Russian media reported that the Federal Security Service (FSB) demanded that Russian telecommunications operators stop providing VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) phone services. The FSB cited fraud prevention as the official reason for the measure.
The measures are part of a broader Russian strategy to limit access to independent and foreign media while strengthening government oversight. This effort has escalated since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, leading to the closure or relocation of independent media outlets and tighter controls on foreign media access.
The Ministry wrote:
- According to Russian independent media, several virtual private network (VPN) applications were removed from the Russian version of the App Store on July 4, 2024, at the request of the Russian communications regulator Roskomnadzor. This follows the previous removal of VPN applications in 2022 and 2023. Roskomnadzor gained the power to block access to VPN services without recourse to court in March 2024. Roskomnadzor justified the ban due to applications containing “content illegal in Russia”. This is almost certainly intended to limit the ability of Russian citizens to access independent Russian and international media, as well as to simplify the ability of security services to monitor Russian citizens.
- Separately, also on July 4, Russian media reported that Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) had demanded that Russian telecommunications operators stop providing Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone services. VoIP is increasingly an international industry standard due to its broadband efficiency and ability to integrate telephony into a unified communication system along with email and video conferencing. The FSB’s implausible official justification is that the measures are aimed at reducing cases of fraud. In fact, it is highly likely that it is intended to increase the ability of Russian authorities to monitor and restrict the communications of private citizens and legal entities.
- These two measures are consistent with Russia’s efforts to control its domestic information environment and limit citizens’ access to information that does not align with government narratives. This effort is long term. In 2019, Russia held exercises to temporarily cut off Russian Internet access and passed “Sovereign Internet” legislation in Ukraine. However, these efforts accelerated substantially after Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, with most independent media outlets closed or forced abroad, and increasingly draconian restrictions on citizens’ access to foreign media. The effect of these restrictions remains to be seen as educated urban Russians continue to find inventive ways around the measures.
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