- Russia’s internet regulator announced a state‑controlled VPN to replace the services it recently blocked.
The agency, Roskomnadzor, said the network will restore access to “vital developer tools” that were cut off by its crackdown on independent VPNs. The proposal is being drafted as a pilot, though details on rollout timing or geographic scope were not disclosed. Industry observers fear the system could give authorities a direct monitoring point for traffic that would otherwise be encrypted.
If the VPN goes live, Russian developers may regain access to foreign code repositories and cloud services, easing a current productivity bottleneck. At the same time, the move could tighten state oversight of online activity, blurring the line between a convenience service and a surveillance tool.
The plan arrives just weeks after a wave of VPN bans, suggesting regulators are trying to patch the fallout rather than lift the restrictions.