Issued on: 17/04/2026 - 13:03Modified: 17/04/2026 - 13:21

Alison Sargent is pleased to welcome Hugh WILLIAMSON. As Human Rights Watch Director for Europe and Central Asia, he views Russia’s restrictions on VPNs as part of an architecture of censorship that has expanded significantly since the 2022 Ukraine invasion began. He argues that these policies reflect a deliberate effort by the Kremlin to curtail access to independent information, suppress public debate, and consolidate political control. He highlights the unintended consequences of this strategy: growing public frustration, economic disruption, and political risk for the government.

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