- Russia blocks access to FaceTime and Roblox
- This comes days after he threatened to completely ban WhatsApp
- Russia also steps up efforts to detect and restrict VPNs
Russia continues to expand its crackdown on digital freedom, this time blocking two other major Western platforms: FaceTime and Roblox. The move is already a major disruption to the way millions of Russians communicate and play online, with users reporting sudden outages and connection failures on both services.
However, it is far from isolated. Since 2022, a steady stream of restrictions has targeted Western apps, networks and services, with Russia’s communications regulator Roskomnadzor threatening to completely block WhatsApp just days ago.
While authorities justify these blockages as a way to stop terrorism and protect children’s online safety, the restrictions are reshaping digital life across Russia, isolating millions of Russians from global technology platforms. And while all this pushes citizens towards best VPN apps, VPN use is also increasingly under threat.
Social apps under fire: Roblox and FaceTime join the banned list
According to some reports, Roskomnadzor has officially added two major Western platforms, Roblox and FaceTime, on its list of prohibited services.
As PK Press Club reported, on December 3, Roskomnadzor said Roblox was blocked because the platform allegedly exposed children to sexual harassers and disseminated “extremist materials” and “LGBT propaganda,” saying it contained content that could harm children’s “spiritual and moral development.”
For a service that has more than 151 million daily active users around the world, many of them children and teenagers, the ban comes as a blow to Russia’s young online community.
At the same time, authorities also claim that FaceTime is used to organize terrorism, recruit criminals and commit fraud.
Some users reported failed FaceTime calls from September – when restrictions on Telegram and WhatsApp were also reported – suggesting that blocking FaceTime may have been quietly put in place before the platform was officially banned.
For many Russians, especially young people and families, the recent bans on Roblox and FaceTime significantly reduce their options for digital socializing and communication.
As foreign platforms are increasingly blocked or throttled by Roskomnadzor, many Russians are being pushed toward state-backed alternatives like MAX. The messaging app has been ordered to be pre-installed on all phones sold in the country and is actively being touted as a “safe” home replacement.
However, critics warn that MAX lacks the privacy and freedom offered by its encrypted Western counterparts. This has led to growing concerns about state surveillance and the loss of secure communications tools.
VPN access remains possible, but state pressure increases
For now, VPN services remain one of the few ways Russians can regain access to blocked platforms like FaceTime and Roblox. This provides a potential lifeline for communication and entertainment amid increasing state censorship. However, this lifeline is also becoming increasingly fragile.
Rokomnadzor has intensified its efforts this year to identify and block VPN traffic. Its TSPU filtering system now detects many VPN protocols, meaning that many services that previously worked are regularly restricted or even completely unusable.
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Additionally, new laws make it punishable to share information about how to bypass censorship blocks (including via VPNs). Despite these efforts by Russian authorities, some VPNs continue to adapt. Typically, they rely on “stealth” or obfuscation techniques that make their traffic harder to detect.
Designed to work exactly in highly censored environments, Russian provider Amnezia VPN has started offering a 50% discount on a six-month Premium subscription to Russian users whose existing VPNs have stopped working. This offering highlights the importance of censorship-resistant VPNs in maintaining access to blocked platforms.
