Russia passes law against VPN usage and ‘extremist’ content search

Russian Parliament passed a law to punish online searches for so-called ‘extremist’ content
The law also adds new penalties for VPN users, making its usage to access extremist content a crime as an aggravating factor
WhatsApp is the latest app set to be banned in Russia

People in Russia are set to face new fines for “searching for or accessing knowingly extremist materials,” including through VPN services.

Russian Parliament, the State Duma, passed the new law on Tuesday, July 22, 2025, with 306 votes in favor, 67 against, and 22 abstaining – as reported by Russian Independent news outlet Meduza.

The law has so far attracted strong criticism, even among pro-government figures, according to Reuters. Digital rights experts are also raising the alarm.

Russia VPN – what’s changing with the new law?

A virtual private network (VPN) is a crucial tool for people in Russia, thanks to its IP-spoofing capabilities that allow bypassing of government-imposed geo-restrictions, as well as strong encryption to help fight back against online surveillance. (Image credit: Getty Images)

The Kremlin’s fight against VPN usage certainly isn’t new. As more people in Russia have turned to the best VPN apps to bypass ever-stricter internet censorship, authorities have been doing their best to prevent this.

From deploying sophisticated VPN blocking techniques in March 2024, the government introduced for the first time a law to criminalize the spread of information about ways to circumvent internet restrictions.

That’s likely the basis that led the Kremlin’s infamous censorship body regulator Roskomnadzor, to issue VPN removal demands against the Big Tech giant. Apple was the most complainant of the lot, killing at least 60 VPN apps, including the popular Russian service Amnezia VPN, from July 2024 onwards alone.

Now, the new law introduces additional penalties for violating rules on VPN usage. This means that advertising VPN services can now cost individuals between 50,000–80,000 rubles ($640–$1,020). This rises to 80,000–150,000 rubles ($1,020–$1,900) for officials, and 200,000–500,000 rubles ($2,550–$6,380) for legal entities.

As Meduza reported, lawmakers also adopted a provision that makes using a VPN to access extremist content “a crime as an aggravating factor.”

How Russia’s new law affect VPN users?

According to the Kremlin, banning the online search of so-called extremist content comes as an alternative to completely blocking foreign platforms.

“In our understanding, this [the adoption of the bill] allows us to strike a balance: on the one hand, to prevent the further dissemination of extremist materials, [and] on the other hand, to refrain from blocking major Western platforms for now,” said Minister of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media Maksut Shadayev – Interfax reported.

Crucially, Shadayev also assures that “ordinary users will not be affected,” despite failing to explain how.

This assurance isn’t, however, convincing digital rights experts who now fear stronger repercussions against dissidents.

Talking to The Moscow Times, co-founder of Russian digital advocacy group Roskomsvoboda, Sarkis Darbinyan said: “If you have a VPN on your phone, that alone might be enough to trigger a deeper check. Eventually, we could see criminal charges for VPN use after just one or two warnings – like with the law on foreign agents.”

It’s also worth mentioning that the highly popular WhatsApp app is now likely to be restricted in Russia.