Issued on: 16/04/2026 - 15:36

Russia has hardened its restrictions on the use of VPNs to access a host of online services, state and independent media outlets reported Wednesday, as the authorities seek to exert more control over online communications. Virtual private networks (VPNs) allow users to mask the websites they visit, enhancing security. They have boomed in popularity in Russia in recent years as a way to circumvent state censorship and as Moscow bans hosts of critical news sites, Western services, social media platforms and messengers.

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