VPN awareness among Russian citizens has grown significantly
James
2026-07-14
Read time
1 minutes
Studies conducted in the second half of April show a noticeable increase in interest towards censorship-circumvention technologies. The share of the country's population aware of such services grew by 9 percentage points compared to August 2024, reaching 74%. Meanwhile, the proportion of active users increased by 6 percentage points, now standing at 40%.
The remaining audience is distributed as follows: about 34% of citizens are aware of the technology's capabilities but do not use it, while 23% of respondents are completely unfamiliar with it. Analysts point out that this digital solution is transforming from a niche tool into a common, everyday practice for the general public.
Demographic and Geographic Usage Patterns
The most active users are young people aged 18 to 29, with 61% of them utilizing these services. In the 30 to 44 age group, this figure represents half of the respondents. Conversely, among the older generation aged 60 and over, nearly half of the participants have no idea what these technologies are.
The geographical breakdown shows the highest concentration of users in major metropolitan areas. In the capital, 62% of residents use the service, while in St. Petersburg the figure is 58%, followed by other large and medium-sized cities.
