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The Russian Ministry of Digital Development is considering new measures to penalize the use of VPN services.
Minister Maksut Shadaev met with telecommunications operators and tech companies on March 28 to discuss the implementation of fees and fines for those using tools to bypass internet restrictions, according to The Moscow Times.
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Shadaev did not rule out the possibility of "administrative liability for the use of tools to bypass blocking."
However, the minister expressed hope that such measures could be avoided. Sources suggest the ministry’s initiative follows a non-public directive from Vladimir Putin.
During two separate meetings on Saturday, Shadaev spoke with major telecom operators as well as digital platforms and retailers, including VK, Ozon, Avito, Wildberries, and Yandex.
The head of the Ministry of Digital Development asked these companies to take action against the use of bypass tools by their customers. Reports indicate that telecom operators have been encouraged to introduce a fee for using more than 15 GB of international mobile traffic per month.
Furthermore, internet companies may be required to restrict users who utilize VPNs, with one source suggesting this policy could begin on May 1.
To identify VPN usage, companies use scoring systems that analyze IP reputation, WebRTC data, browser fingerprints, and geolocation discrepancies.
Alexey Lukatsky, an information security consultant at Positive Technologies, stated that while these parameters help form an assumption of VPN use, "100% accuracy cannot be achieved, as sometimes the user is simply abroad."
Russian authorities launched a new wave of intensified internet censorship, further solidifying the country’s role as a global leader in digital restrictions.
Following the official start of Telegram blocking, the media regulator Roskomnadzor began removing major platforms like YouTube and WhatsApp from the National Domain Name System for the first time.
This mass removal also affected services such as Facebook, Instagram, and several international media outlets, effectively creating a "sovereign" Russian internet that functioned separately from the global network.
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