Russia vs. The Internet: Telegram Blocked, VPNs Under Attack, and What's Next in 2026

In the first half of April 2026, the Russian government escalated its digital censorship campaign to levels previously unseen. Telegram, used by over 94 million Russians, saw its availability drop to a record low of 5% for users without VPNs. Simultaneously, more than 20 major internet companies — including Ozon, Wildberries, Yandex, Sberbank, and VK — began restricting access for VPN users under direct government pressure.

The Telegram Siege

Access to Telegram had been increasingly restricted since August 2025, when Roskomnadzor began blocking voice calls within the messenger, officially citing fraud prevention. By October, restrictions spread to southern regions. By February 2026, Roskomnadzor announced an intensification of blocking, citing "non-compliance" with Russian law. Criminal cases were opened against Telegram founder Pavel Durov, accusing him of "aiding terrorism."

Durov responded by stating that authorities "fabricate new pretexts each day to restrict Russians' access to Telegram." Meanwhile, the state-backed messenger Max — built on VK's platform and intended as Russia's answer to WeChat — failed to gain real traction. Despite 107 million registered accounts, users limited their engagement due to surveillance concerns.

The crackdown had unexpected side effects. Pro-regime Telegram channels lost approximately 40% of their views, while opposition channels lost only 17% — because opposition audiences were significantly more likely to use VPNs. The Russian military also lost an effective frontline communication tool.

The VPN War: Technical Front

Roskomnadzor deployed TSPU (Technical Means of Countering Threats) to disrupt specific VPN transport protocols. In late 2025, reports circulated that VLESS had been blocked. The reality was more nuanced: most VPN providers responded by issuing new configurations to users, and VLESS + Reality + CDN combinations continued working.

In February 2026, domains belonging to YouTube, Facebook, WhatsApp, and major foreign news outlets were removed from Russia's National Domain Name System (NSDI). The practical impact was limited — foreign public DNS servers such as 1.1.1.1 and 8.8.8.8 remained accessible, and changing DNS settings bypassed the restriction entirely.

More consequential was Apple's continued compliance with Roskomnadzor demands. By April 2026, 761 VPN applications had been removed from the Russian App Store. Apple stated that "failure to comply with lawful orders could mean that Apple would no longer be able to operate an App Store in the country."

The Corporate Ultimatum

At the end of March 2026, Digital Development Minister Maksut Shadayev convened meetings with telecom operators and major internet companies, setting an effective deadline of April 15 for new restrictions:

• Telecom operators were instructed to introduce charges for using more than 15 GB of international mobile traffic per month — a measure aimed directly at VPN users.
• Internet companies were ordered to block access to their platforms for users detected to be using VPNs by April 15. Non-compliant companies risked losing their IT accreditation.
• Detection methods included IP geolocation mismatch, blacklisted address databases, and parallel request testing through company apps.

The Political Fallout

The censorship measures generated discontent not only among opposition supporters but also within apolitical segments of the population. State-run VCIOM pollster recorded a steady downward trend in support for Putin: from 75.1% in January to 67.8% in early April — the lowest level since February 2022. Trust dropped from 33.3% to 29.5%.

According to the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, 85% of surveyed companies described the effects of internet restrictions as "critical" or "significant" for their operations. The censorship campaign was antagonizing a segment of Russians who had previously remained loyal to the regime.

What It Means for VPN Users

Despite the crackdown, VPN usage in Russia continues to grow. Estimates suggest that at least 40% of Russian internet users now regularly use VPN services. The demand for obfuscated protocols — VLESS, AmneziaWG, and XRay — has surged. Self-hosted solutions and router-level VPN configurations are becoming increasingly popular as app store alternatives.

The lesson is clear: when governments escalate censorship, the technology to bypass it escalates in parallel. The cat-and-mouse game is not ending — it is entering a new phase.