In March 2026, the First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy, Anton Gorelkin, officially confirmed: a complete ban on VPNs in Russia is not being considered. This news came as a response to a wave of rumors and concerns among millions of users. However, behind this statement lies a much more complex reality — Roskomnadzor has already blocked 469 VPN services and continues to increase the technical power of its filtering system.
What does this mean for the average user? Formally, a VPN remains a legal tool, but in practice, finding a working service is becoming increasingly difficult. Let's figure out what is happening, what technologies are used for blocking, and how to protect your privacy in the new conditions.
What the State Duma stated: key points
On March 25, 2026, Anton Gorelkin made a number of important statements that define the position of lawmakers:
- A complete ban is not planned: VPNs remain critically important for the corporate sector. Traffic tunneling and data protection in the business environment have no worthy alternative, and a complete ban will have an «extremely negative» impact on the digital economy.
- Fines for use are not being introduced: Ordinary users will not be punished for the mere fact of connecting to a VPN. Liability is provided only for owners of services that violate Russian legislation.
- Targeted blocks will continue: Roskomnadzor will continue to block specific VPN services that allow bypassing restrictions on access to prohibited resources.
469 blocked services: the scale of restrictions
By the end of February 2026, Roskomnadzor reported blocking 469 VPN services. Among them are almost all popular international solutions: NordVPN, ProtonVPN, Surfshark, AdGuard VPN, TurboVPN, Psiphon, Lantern, and dozens of others. For comparison, in 2023, about 150 services were blocked, and in 2024 — already more than 300.
| Period | Blocked VPN services | Main blocking methods |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | ~150 | Blocking IP addresses and domains |
| 2024 | ~300 | DPI + blocking WireGuard, OpenVPN protocols |
| February 2026 | 469 | AI traffic analysis + blocking VLESS, SOCKS5, L2TP |
How Roskomnadzor blocks VPNs: TSPU technologies
The blocking system is based on TSPU (technical means of countering threats) equipment, which all Russian internet providers have been required to install since 2019. This equipment allows analyzing all passing traffic in real-time using deep packet inspection (DPI) technology.
In 2026, TSPU received a major update — an artificial intelligence-based analysis system worth 2.3 billion rubles. The new system can recognize not only standard VPN protocols but also obfuscated traffic that disguises itself as regular HTTPS.
- Protocol blocking: WireGuard, OpenVPN, L2TP, SOCKS5, and VLESS are detected and blocked at the TSPU level.
- Traffic pattern analysis: The AI system analyzes the characteristic features of VPN connections even when they use obfuscation.
- Whitelists: Corporate VPN connections can be added to the allowed list, but this process requires coordination with the regulator.
What works in 2026: bypass strategies
Despite large-scale blocks, bypass technologies are not standing still either. VPN providers that continue to work in Russia use several approaches:
- Traffic obfuscation: Disguising a VPN connection as regular HTTPS traffic using technologies like Shadowsocks or special obfuscated servers.
- Server rotation: Regularly changing server IP addresses to stay ahead of Roskomnadzor blocks.
- Custom protocols: Some providers have developed proprietary protocols that are not yet recognized by DPI systems.
- Multi-hop connections: Routing traffic through multiple servers in different jurisdictions to increase resistance to blocking.
What this means for ordinary users
The main conclusion from the State Duma's statements is that users will not be fined for a VPN. However, the technical reality creates its own limitations. With each passing month, finding a stably working VPN in Russia becomes more difficult, and free solutions have almost completely stopped functioning.
For business, the situation is twofold: on the one hand, corporate VPNs are not officially banned, on the other hand — even legitimate corporate connections periodically fall under blocks, causing company operations to fail and drawing complaints from the business community.
In conditions where 469 services are already blocked and Roskomnadzor is armed with an AI traffic analysis system, the question is not whether VPNs will be banned, but how effectively you will be able to use them. Choose proven solutions with active support and regular updates — these are the ones that have a chance to continue working in conditions of constantly increasing blocks.
• Anton Gorelkin: a complete ban on VPN services in Russia is not discussed (Kommersant)
• Roskomnadzor restricted access to 469 VPN services (Habr)
• Sovereign Internet: what changes from March 1, 2026 (Habr)
• Will VPNs be banned in Russia (Fontanka.ru, March 25, 2026)
• Russia’s battle against VPNs is entering a new phase (TechRadar)
