Apple has recently complied with a request from Russia’s Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology, and Mass Media (Roskomnadzor) to remove several VPN services from the Russian version of the App Store. These VPN services were being used by individuals to bypass internet censorship in the country.
The affected VPN services include Proton VPN, Red Shield VPN, Nord VPN, and Le VPN. Apple notified the developers of Red Shield VPN and Le VPN that their apps were removed at the request of Roskomnadzor due to containing illegal content in Russia.
Users who wish to continue using these VPN services are advised to change their Apple ID country to install the apps and receive updates. This move to block VPN services in Russia predates the recent conflict in Ukraine but has intensified in the aftermath.
Roskomnadzor had previously conducted large-scale blocking of VPN services utilizing protocols like WireGuard, OpenVPN, and IPSec. According to Sergei Khutortsev, Director of Roskomnadzor’s Public Communications Network Monitoring and Management Centre, 167 malicious VPN services and 84 applications had been blocked in the past two years.
Looking ahead, Roskomnadzor is planning to implement a register of prohibited information using artificial intelligence. Telecom operators in Russia currently block around 300,000 unregistered SIM cards per week at the agency’s request.
The crackdown on VPN services in Russia highlights the ongoing battle between authorities seeking to control access to information and individuals looking to maintain online privacy and freedom of expression.
