What just happened? Russian authorities are working hard to tighten control over the internet. Roskomnadzor recently began blocking Telegram, but users continue to access the platform via VPNs. The Kremlin is now attempting to censor VPNs as well, and this onion-layered approach to censorship is disrupting some critical domestic online services.
According to Telegram CEO Pavel Durov, the Kremlin's increasing efforts to control and censor the global internet are causing widespread problems for Russian users. The Russian-born entrepreneur confirmed that Telegram is now banned in the country, yet more than 50 million Russians continue to use it daily via VPNs.
Moscow authorities have spent years attempting to control and block VPN platforms, Durov said. However, their latest efforts to restrict encrypted traffic and tunneling protocols have led to widespread failures in banking apps. Over the weekend, cash became the only reliable payment method across much of Russia.
– Pavel Durov (@durov) April 4, 2026
According to unnamed industry sources cited by Bloomberg, the crackdown on VPNs may have triggered significant connectivity issues for banking platforms. Roskomnadzor's filtering system was reportedly overloaded, causing reliability and network stability problems across the Russian internet.
Russia is attempting to push its citizens toward a domestic "super-app" called Max, designed to provide access to social media and mobile payment services – similar to how China's WeChat app, Weixin, operates. Beijing authorities have unrestricted access to all traffic on Weixin, and the Kremlin appears to be aiming for the same level of control with Max.
Russia's latest attempt to block Telegram has drawn criticism from soldiers, pro-Putin bloggers, and supporters of Russia's war against Ukraine. Despite Durov's personal troubles with the international justice system, Telegram continues to be widely used as a "support" platform on Ukraine's frontlines. Durov argued that restricting citizens' access is a fool's errand, destined to fail – whether in Iran or Russia.
Netizens are increasingly turning to virtual networks to circumvent state censorship, but VPNs come with their own risks. As a small group of Democratic representatives recently noted, using a VPN could expose US citizens to unrestricted government surveillance – an issue that would constitute a major violation of digital and civil rights in the US, Russia, Iran, or anywhere else.