Russia Escalates VPN Blocks After Duma Elections

Russian authorities intensified VPN blocking after State Duma elections, with at least ten providers reporting severe restrictions in one week. Two providers had all international servers and IP addresses blocked by Roskomnadzor. An estimated 57 million Russians, roughly 40 percent of the population, rely on circumvention tools to reach independent news and blocked platforms. Authorities are also pressuring Apple and Google to remove VPN apps.