A decade ago, Russian forums and social networking sites were teeming with political discussion, and YouTube became a trampoline, e.g. for Aleksiej Nawalny. However, protests from 2011–2012 They prompted the Kremlin to accept the doctrine of “sovereign internet”. Personal Data Act of 2015, takeover of VK by state managers in 2022 and Facebook, Instagram and Twitter lock after the invasion of Ukraine were the next stages of arduous termination of the loop.
The new MAX messenger, developed by the VK group, has The ambition will become the Russian equivalent of the Chinese Wechat. It enables talks, payments, electronic signature and access to the “Gosus Service” e-administration portal. From September 2025, he will be factory -in -in -one to every phone sold in Russia, and officials at all levels must transfer official correspondence to it. According to VK, over two million people already use the application, although beta tests are still underway.
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Russia does not want Big Techu at home
Experts, including Irina Borogan from the Center for European Policy Analysis, warn that Max will become “digital gulag”because it integrates the user's identification with the Bank of Russia's payment system and stores data on servers that are easily available to FSB.
The Kremlin does not comment on these reports, and does not mask the intention to block the competition. In mid -July, the influential deputy Anton Gorelkin stated that it is time for “WhatsApp to prepare for leaving the Russian market”, pointing to the government list of the so -called Upbladen software, which the finish – recognized in Russia as an extremist organization – is to power soon. The telegram, though formally legal, was also in the crosshairs as an anxious entity.
YouTube, the most popular video service, has been regularly handed from mid -2024. In practice, this means that the speed of streams on a stationary connection drops below 2 Mbps (burdensome for watching video), and long buffers appear on mobile devices. DFRLAB analysis showed that the restrictions began in July 2024, and in January 2025 even covered the encrypted QUIC protocol. As a result YouTube is available, but its use only raises frustration And it leads to the fact that users are discouraged from using the website.
Russian alternatives, i.e. VK Video or Rutube, despite promotional campaigns, did not exceed 30 percent. market share.
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War with VPNs
According to Human Rights Watch, by May 2025. Roskomnadzor blocked 197 VPN services, using a deep online package inspection. Apple, responding to the regulator's demands, removed the VPN Amnezia VPN from the Russian App Store in October 2024 and DVPN in April 2025. Why did the giant from the USA remove VPN applications? Because Russia threatened multi -million penalties if the applications are available to its citizens.
In July 2025, Putin also signed a law that prohibits VPN advertising and increases the fines for their “use in criminal activities”. Yes, Russia assumes that if someone uses VPN, it is apparently a criminal.
At the same time, the amendment to the Penal Code penalizes the “intentional search for extremist content” – the term is so capacious that it includes the materials of the Navalny Foundation or news about LGBTQ+. Users are already exposing themselves to the fact that they are looking for information on topics considered by the Russian authorities “dangerous”.
Practice shows that prosecutors are eager to reach for this category. Nationalist Igor Girkin received four years of penal colony for two entries on the telegram criticizing Putin's war strategy. On July 22, 2025, the police also detained soils and Trifonov, the editor of the popular Baza channel, accusing him of “bribes for video leaks from surgery”. It was a signal for other bloggers that even pro -government content does not guarantee security. The government is to be used to build narrative and shape opinions, not influencers.
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Companies must meet the technical requirements
Analysts note that Russian censorship gained two powerful tools in 2025: The obligation to install DPI equipment (specialized network devices, which, when analyzing the full content of data packages, allow the operator to filter, block or modify real -time internet traffic) with all operators and consolidating the IP address pool around state suppliers. What does it give? It allows you to centrally “screw the tap” with western servers within a few minutes.
It is worth noting that, unlike the Chinese model, Russia is still involved in Western network equipment, and sanctions limit access to the latest network processors, which slows down the development of a more sophisticated firewall.
Forced departure of global platforms from the Russian market means for small companies the loss of sales and marketing channels, and for technological investors – growing regulatory risk. Start-ups complain about the difficulties in the integration of SaaS solutions, and banks They are afraid that cutting off from Google Cloud or AWS will make it difficult to comply with international standards.
At the same time, the Kremlin gains supporters in authoritarian countries that perceive “cyber-tuner” as a model of protection against Western sanctions, although the West NGOs alert that this creates a dangerous precedent for the integrity of the global network.
The Russian state apparatus today has a greater arsenal of rights and technology than ever, but is still struggling with the outflow of IT specialists, the lack of advanced chips and The growing creativity of users in celebrating blockades. Medusa studies show that the percentage of Internet users using VPNs persists above 30 percent, despite hundreds of blocked services.
The upcoming months will show whether in the shadow of war and recession the Kremlin will manage to maintain a more expensive digital insulation project, or or overloaded filters will prove to be hole in a time when Russia has tried – and failed to block the Telegram application in 2018.
Author: Grzegorz Kubera, Business Insider Polska journalist
