- Head of Russian Human Rights Council admits banning VPNs ‘impossible’
- Attempting to block all VPNs would disrupt businesses and banks
- The official still condemned citizens using VPNs to access blocked media
A Kremlin official publicly acknowledged that completely blocking virtual private networks (VPNs) in Russia was “simply impossible” and admitted it could have a catastrophic impact on the country’s digital infrastructure.
The surprising admission comes from Valery Fadeev, chairman of Russia’s Presidential Human Rights Council, an advisory body that consults with the Kremlin on civil liberties.
Speaking to Russian business outlet RBC, Fadeev noted that while the government disapproves of citizens’ use of best VPNs to circumvent state censorship, technically eradicating them is a bridge too far.
The reality is that the modern digital economy relies heavily on the cybersecurity protections and remote access provided by VPNs. Blocking them outright would not only prevent citizens from reading independent news. It would also disrupt critical operations of financial institutions and the technology sector.
“I don’t really understand how to regulate VPNs, because it became clear to everyone quite quickly that this is an extremely complex system and banning or disabling VPNs is simply impossible,” Fadeev told RBC, according to an English translation published by an independent Russian media outlet. Meduza.
“If you try to shut everything down, the entire vast Internet system could simply be destroyed. That’s obvious.”
The economic cost of an Internet outage
Fadeev noted that this technical reality is now “clear to everyone, although specialists have understood this for a long time.” He warned that a blanket VPN shutdown would have serious consequences for businesses, banks and “programmers who upload code.”
However, Fadeev remains highly critical of people who use privacy tools to evade internet censorship. He told RBC that he “never said VPNs should be shut down” but criticized “some Russian citizens” who use circumvention tools to access independent reporting and TV channels blocked in the country.
“It is worth remembering that some of these media work for the enemy and are not an alternative source,” Fadeev said. “Some of them were designated as foreign agents, others as undesirable organizations.”
“What you find there is not alternative information but enemy propaganda. It is not a legal question, it is not a question of restriction, it is a question of civic conscience.”
A question of “civic consciousness”
The Kremlin has waged an escalating war on internet freedom, regularly blocking independent media and attempting to restrict access to circumvention tools. Fadeev, who says he does not use a VPN himself, has previously called the use of VPNs “something abnormal,” arguing that citizens who use them are looking for “what the enemy says.”
While many – including Telegram CEO Pavel Durov – have criticized Russian attempts to restrict access to VPNs, Fadeev has rejected accusations of undermining free speech.
Specifically, he accused “part of the Russian intelligentsia” of equating internet restrictions with attacks on freedom of expression, arguing that online censorship is necessary because Ukrainian forces are “hitting many Russian cities.”
Despite the intense crackdown on VPNs, several apps still appear to be working, including BlancVPN, AmneziaVPN, and Liberty VPN among those that are adapting and continuing to operate in the country.
