Russian users downloaded VPN apps from Google Play 9.2 million times in March 2026 — 14 times more than in the same month a year earlier — the Russian business daily Kommersant reported, citing data from the service Digital Budget.

Over the full year from March 2025 to March 2026, downloads totaled 35.7 million, with the peak concentrated in the first quarter of 2026, when apps were downloaded 21.27 million times between January and March.

The combined active user base of Russia’s five most popular VPN apps — which were not named — reached 7.3 million people by the end of 2025, according to the mobile analytics service Sensor Tower.

Experts who spoke to Kommersant said that when platforms restrict VPN traffic, the share of VPN users should decline — but what actually falls is how often and how actively people use the platforms themselves. One source told the newspaper that the effect is already visible in declining sales, including on online marketplaces.

In late March, it emerged that the Digital Development Ministry had instructed telecommunications carriers to introduce fees for international traffic routed through VPNs. At the same time, major online platforms were told to block access for users with VPNs enabled by April 15, under threat of removal from a government “white list” and loss of IT accreditation. Many Russian services did indeed stop working when a VPN was active. The Digital Development Ministry later explained that the move was intended to protect data that users enter on platforms. “This applies especially to government services, where citizens’ personal data is stored,” the ministry said.