The Russian government plans to allocate 19.87 billion rubles to block “undesirable” online content and curb VPN services. The Russian Service of RFE/RL reported that the funding is included in the draft 2027 federal budget submitted to the State Duma on October 1.
The money is set to go to the Main Radio Frequency Center, a state enterprise accountable to Roskomnadzor. The funds are intended to support what the budget describes as an automated security system for the Russian segment of the internet and telecommunications networks.
According to the report, the system is designed to technically counter online threats, including blocking websites that contain “prohibited” content. It is also used against VPNs, which are widely used in Russia to bypass internet restrictions.
Roskomnadzor aims to reach 92% effectiveness in blocking VPN technologies by 2030. Overall, 31.8 billion rubles is planned for the regulator’s operations in 2027.
The article also notes that Russia carried out a large-scale VPN crackdown in August this year, restricting the IP addresses of more than 20 well-known hosting services. Since the start of the invasion of Ukraine, Russian authorities have tightened online censorship, blocking hundreds of websites and limiting access to a range of services.
