• Russia plans to block 92% of VPNs by 2030
• Millions in funding will build a permanent censorship infrastructure
• New taxes and detection rules further tighten the net

The Russian media regulator, Roskomnadzor, has set an ambitious and alarming goal: to block 92% of all Virtual Private Network (VPN) services operating within the country by 2030.

This directive — first uncovered 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-running effort to control what its citizens see online and cut them off from the open internet.

Crucially, the plan is already funded. Federal budget laws have set aside roughly 20 billion rubles a year starting in 2025 to build the technical infrastructure needed for these blocks, according to Kolomychenko. Even the best VPN services face a growing maze of technical and legal hurdles across the country.

The infrastructure behind the 92% target

The 2030 target is driven by the Automated System for Supplying Security (ASBI), which manages TSPUs — specialized hardware gatekeepers installed directly inside internet service providers. These devices inspect data packets in real-time to identify and block VPN traffic based on specific signatures.

The subsidy document allocates roughly 20 billion rubles annually for the operation of ASBI. This figure corroborates a September 2024 report that authorities intended to spend 60 billion rubles (around $650 million) over the next five years to update its internet-blocking system.

A critical detail is that the Russian government hasn’t defined what "92% effectiveness" actually means. Kolomychenko noted it could refer to the number of VPN applications removed from stores, the volume of traffic blocked, or the percentage of people unable to connect.

This marks a fundamental shift in how Russia governs the internet. Rather than chasing down individual services one by one, the state is now pouring money into the underlying network layer to build a permanent filter.

By placing these filters directly in the network path, Roskomnadzor aims to make bypassing blocks a constant uphill battle for users.

A growing wave of internet restrictions

While the 2030 blueprint sets the stage for long-term isolation, the situation for Russian internet users is already declining.

Since the invasion of Ukraine, censorship has expanded from specific news outlets to targeting major social media platforms and messaging tools.

Millions of websites have been blocked, and as of 2025, authorities have started cutting off mobile internet across entire regions. They’ve also officially blocked major platforms like WhatsApp and Telegram.

So far, more than 400 VPN services have been banned, with over 1,000 restricted, according to another Russian journalist, Aleksandar Djokic. This, even though it’s still legal to use a VPN in Russia.

The game has changed from simple blocking to include active detection and financial punishment.

Starting 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 a new "foreign traffic tax". It would charge mobile users 150 rubles per gigabyte for any data over a 15GB monthly limit. This fee, which has been facing technical delays, hits the international routes VPNs rely on, making it too costly for most people to bypass the blocks.

When you combine these measures with the technical upgrades to ASBI, the result is a comprehensive squeeze on user access. It makes escaping censorship not just a technical headache, but a costly and even risky gamble.

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