15/ "The result is a formalised game of whack-a-mole. And the holes are growing. The authorities are blocking services, putting pressure on stores, and deleting apps (as many as 116 VPNs). Against this backdrop, dozens of new apps and methods for circumventing bans are appearing.
Full-scale invasion and national resilience, broadcasted live.
-
VPN Blocks Drive Users Away From Russian Platforms
11/ "The phrase about "user activity on platforms that block VPN traffic is declining" is key. Users don't adapt to VK Video, Ozon, Wildberries, or any other platform. Platforms lose users if they make access difficult.
-
Content Loyalty Beats Platform Loyalty, Unsurprisingly
12/ "Content loyalty is higher than platform loyalty—what a surprise. Who would have thought…
-
35.7M Downloads vs 7.3M Active Users: A Large Reserve Bench
9/ "35.7 million downloads versus 7.3 million active users speak of a large "bench of reserves"—there's plenty to choose from. People are trying things out, deleting them, and searching for viable options.
-
VPNs Transition From Niche Tool to Mass Consumer Product
7/ "A 14-fold growth and tens of millions of installs aren't a fringe story of "techies," but rather the transition of VPNs into a mass consumer tool. VPNs are ceasing to be considered "hacker gadgets" and becoming a common household tool.
-
Censorship Seen as Stupidity Worth Bypassing, Not State Necessity
8/ "People are beginning to perceive blocking not as an act of state necessity, but as an inconvenience caused by someone's stupidity that needs to be circumvented.
-
116 VPN Apps Removed from Russian App Store by Roskomnadzor
5/ "According to Apple Censorship, 116 VPN services were unavailable in the Russian App Store as of the end of April. In late March, it was reported that the store had removed over 20 VPN services at the request of Roskomnadzor [the state media regulator].
-
VPN Use Complicated as Block Circumvention Restrictions Reduce Platform Traffic
4/ "Measures taken to restrict block circumvention services are complicating VPN use. However, experts note that user activity on platforms that block VPN traffic is simultaneously declining.
-
Russia VPN Downloads Hit 21 Million in Early 2026
3/ "January-March 2026 were the peak download months: downloads reached 21.27 million in the first quarter. By the end of 2025, the active user base of the top 5 most popular VPN services in Russia had grown to 7.3 million.
-
VPN Downloads in Russia Surge 14-Fold Amid Digital Censorship
2/ Yuri Baranchik writes about how Russians are adapting to a "digital concentration camp": "According to media reports, VPN app downloads in Russia have increased 14-fold in one year (!). From March 2025 to March 2026, 35.7 million downloads were recorded on Google Play alone."