How the VPN crackdown will affect Russian internet speeds
James
2026-07-25
Read time
3 minutes
A new phase of the crackdown on bypass tools has emerged in Russia. Around twenty major telecom operators have agreed on restrictions regarding the expansion of data transmission channels connecting the country to European nations. This initiative is aimed at complicating the operation of foreign services, but the consequences will affect all internet users.
The Substance of Communication Channel Restrictions
The decision was made during a meeting with Maksut Shadaev, the head of the Ministry of Digital Development. Participants in the agreement include companies such as MSK-IX, TransTeleCom, MTS, VimpelCom, T2, Ufanet, and Rascom. In total, the document was signed by about 20 providers controlling cross-border communication lines.
According to the agreements, operators will stop increasing the capacity of trunk lines leading to Europe. As the volume of transmitted data grows, the capacity deficit will lead to a drop in speed or a significant increase in the cost of foreign traffic. To officially establish these rules, the Ministry of Digital Development will require additional legislative authority.
Consequences for Network Speed
The growing popularity of bypass services increases the load on international channels, as their traffic is recognized as cross-border. Due to artificial limits, not only specialized utilities will suffer, but also regular access to foreign cloud storage, websites, and content delivery networks that power many platforms.
Owners of Apple portable devices and computers may experience glitches and slow performance when updating applications, syncing with the iCloud cloud, and using the company's streaming media services.
Additional Regulatory Measures
The new restrictions complement a number of other measures discussed by the agency in late March 2026. Among them is the possibility of introducing a fee for mobile international traffic exceeding 15 GB per month at a rate of 150 rubles for each subsequent gigabyte, which was planned to launch on May 1, 2026. In addition, major Russian online platforms must independently detect users utilizing IP-altering tools.
By the end of February 2026, regulatory bodies restricted access to 469 bypass services. The current moratorium represents an attempt to address the issue globally, narrowing channel capacity instead of selectively filtering individual resources.
Impact on Foreign Resources
The connection slowdown will affect even those foreign platforms that are not blocked in the country. On the other hand, such measures could force foreign companies to locate their server capacities directly within Russia, which would increase access speeds for local users. Nevertheless, technically separating different types of cross-border traffic remains a difficult task.
Situation with Messengers and Proxies
Against the background of almost complete restriction of Telegram in Russia by April 10, 2026, users are forced to use alternative communication methods. Proxy servers, which forward only data of a specific application, will also face the threat of speed reduction. The situation is further complicated by the ability of specialized deep packet inspection equipment to identify characteristic protocols of such servers.
At the same time, the removal of specialized software from the Russian App Store for iOS continues. Due to the difficulties of installing programs from third-party sources on Apple devices, users of this ecosystem find themselves in a more vulnerable position.
General Conclusions and Outlook
Although the current moratorium is in the nature of an agreement between operators and still requires refinement of the regulatory framework, its consequences may prove tangible. Users should prepare for a potential decline in the stability of foreign web resources and more complicated access to international services.
With the HiroVPN service, users are protected from such infrastructure limitations and can maintain stable access to the resources they need.
