By Ekaterina Janashia | 2026-05-07

The Kremlin is building a digital wall around its citizens. And using their money to do it -- twice.

Russia has spent years systematically cutting off its population from the global internet: blocking messaging apps, restricting Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) and funneling users toward state-monitored platforms. Now, public procurement data analyzed by Telegram channel Shot reveals that regional authorities have launched a wave of government tenders for VPN services totaling approximately 300 million RUB (around $4 million). The state is buying for itself what it bans for everyone else.

One rule for officials, another for citizens

Russia's campaign to sever citizens from independent information has accelerated sharply in 2026. Messaging giants like Telegram and WhatsApp are now inaccessible without a VPN. Consumer VPNs are being strangled: the Ministry of Digital Development has announced plans to impose a 15-gigabyte cap on foreign mobile traffic and disabled mobile payments for international services, including blocking users from topping up Apple ID balances via their phone bill.

The crackdown crossed a new threshold on April 15. The ministry instructed more than 20 major platforms, including Yandex, VK, Sberbank and Ozon, to block access for any user detected using a VPN. Companies that failed to comply risked losing their IT accreditation and their place on the government whitelist. The deadline held.

Ozon, Kinopoisk and several banking apps now display "access denied" messages to VPN users. Russia's government services portal, Gosuslugi, used by citizens for everything from tax filings to passport renewals, is blocking them too.

At the same time, government offices are upgrading their own connectivity. The Tyumen region has emerged as the biggest spender, allocating 198 million RUB (around $2.6 million) for VPN services through 23 tenders led by its regional Center for Information Technologies (CIT). The Murmansk region follows at 19.5 million RUB ($258,000), Saratov at 13.9 million ($184,000) and Sverdlovsk at 10.3 million ($136,000).

The government's explanation

Officials justify the spending as operational necessity. Network security specialist Sergey Vakulin explained the distinction the government draws.

"In our society, it is widely believed that a VPN is primarily for bypassing blocks. In reality, a VPN does not exist to circumvent restrictions, but to establish a secure connection between a client and a server," Vakulin told NSN in April. "We are talking about ensuring the secure transfer of confidential information, including commercial or state data."

He added that government agencies will use VPNs configured to block access to restricted sites -- tools built for data security, not circumvention.

The Ministry of Digital Development has formalized this distinction, stating that a whitelist will be created for corporate and government VPNs used for legitimate secure access. The line between "approved" and "illegal" connectivity is now official policy, and it runs directly between the state and everyone else.

'First they block us, then they unblock themselves'

The procurement data has sparked a wave of cynicism online. Social media users were quick to identify the contradiction.

"First they block us with our money, and then they unblock themselves with our money," user nat_shev111 commented on Instagram.

User leg_lana called it "yet another circus" and "perpetual money laundering."

"How else are the [Federal Security Service] FSB and [Ministry of Internal Affairs] MVD going to catch us for our comments?" andrei_tsy sarcastically noted.

Others saw it as a simple business model.

"They came up with a business for themselves: block social networks and sell their own VPN," remarked user nedvigimost_osetia.

Some called for a different approach entirely.

"It's better to give us back our connection and close [Russian media and communications regulator] Roskomnadzor than to spend 300 million," wrote user maaga.o95.

The Kremlin's long-term model increasingly resembles China's Great Firewall -- a closed digital ecosystem where the state curates reality, amplifies approved narratives and removes dissent.

Roskomnadzor has set a target of 92% VPN blocking effectiveness by 2030, with roughly 20 billion RUB ($264 million) allocated annually for blocking infrastructure.