- Russian State Duma proposes creating a list of approved VPNs
- The move comes as the Kremlin seeks to “reduce VPN use”
- MP also suggests targeted ‘smart’ internet slowdowns
The Russian government is considering creating a list of approved VPN services, according to state news agency RIA Novosti.
On Wednesday, the agency reported on a letter sent by State Duma deputy Dmitry Gusev to Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin. In it, Gusev proposes the creation of a list of “white VPNs” to minimize inconvenience for citizens and businesses that rely on stable Internet connections for their work.
As authorities step up efforts to “reduce VPN usage” through new restrictions, reports of widespread banking outages and business disruptions have surfaced.
These are widely seen as a direct consequence of the current wave of aggressive lockdowns. By whitelisting specific services, the government hopes to exempt critical business tools from these technical disruptions.
Beyond VPNs, Gusev suggested a similar whitelist for Russian-based hosting providers to ensure uninterrupted operations.
The MP also warned against restricting mobile internet access for verified users on Gosuslugi – the state’s digital services portal – effectively suggesting a whitelist of approved individuals after reports that the platforms were blocking users who attempted to access with a VPN enabled.
Gusev’s proposal calls for abandoning brutal and massive restrictions in favor of “smart traffic slowing” mechanisms. This system would allow authorities to selectively reduce bandwidth for unfriendly platforms while ensuring that approved services continue to operate at normal speeds.
Towards a total whitelist?
Although these suggestions have not yet become law, they signal an intention to transition to a whitelist censorship model.
The model – which blocks everything by default and only allows certain apps and websites – has reportedly already been tested in major cities, including Moscow and St. Petersburg.
This aggressive approach reflects recent tactics implemented by Iranian authorities. Importantly, whitelisting makes bypassing state blocks much more difficult. Indeed, in such a system, circumvention tools – including VPNs and proxies – will also be restricted.
However, speaking to TechRadar, a prominent Russian opposition figure – who in March launched a website monitoring the connectivity levels of popular Russian VPNs – Maxim Katz argued that Russia may have a harder time replicating Iran’s success in this area.
“The Russian Internet is much more sophisticated than the Iranian Internet. It was developed over many years as a free Internet. So not only has everyone gotten used to it, but there are many ways to connect to different services. In comparison, the Iranian authorities only have a few lines to cut so that nothing works,” Katz told Techradar.
Beyond technical hurdles, Katz believes the Kremlin lacks the political capital to completely cut Russia off from the global web. “Most Russians are not political. Whether they are pro-Putin or neutral, they still want to use the Internet – and they are not ready to give it up.”
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