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On\u00a0August\u00a013, Roskomnadzor, the state media regulator, restricted calls on\u00a0WhatsApp and Telegram, calling them \u201cmain voice services used to\u00a0deceive and extort money, and to\u00a0involve Russian citizens in\u00a0sabotage and terrorist activities\u201d. <\/p>\n
Natalia Kolesnikova \/ Keystone <\/p>\n
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A new report by Human Rights Watch shows how millions of Russians are increasingly struggling to get around restrictions on accessing international websites imposed by the government.\n<\/p>\n
This content was published on <\/p>\n
August 29, 2025 – 09:00\n<\/p>\n
\n Elena Servettaz <\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/elena-servettaz-profileImage-47952835.jpg\")
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\n I cover international relations with a focus on Switzerland, lead journalistic investigations, and conduct deeply personal interviews on challenging topics.
\nOver 25 years in journalism. Graduated from Moscow State University’s Faculty of Journalism and the French Press Institute in Paris. Former TV\/radio host in France and Russia. I am a published author and documentary filmmaker who has interviewed presidents and rock stars. <\/p>\n
Russia\u2019s Internet, since the invasion of\u00a0Ukraine in\u00a02022,<\/a> has become one of the most restricted digital spaces in\u00a0the world. Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, news media and thousands of\u00a0other sites are blocked. The system, known as\u00a0RuNet, also operates in Russian-occupied territories in\u00a0Ukraine.<\/p>\n Access to\u00a0foreign websites is largely impossible without a\u00a0VPN service, and yet these virtual private networks are increasingly being curbed for users. \u201cEven VPNs, once a\u00a0common tool to\u00a0bypass censorship, are no\u00a0longer reliable. Over half of\u00a0the population doesn\u2019t know how to\u00a0use them,\u201d \u00a0Human Rights Watch said in a new reportExternal link<\/a>.<\/p>\n Swissinfo asked Olga Sadovskaya, vice-chair of\u00a0rights group The Crew Against TortureExternal link<\/a> and vice-president of\u00a0the World Organization Against TortureExternal link<\/a>, to\u00a0demonstrate how Russia\u2019s digital Iron Curtain works with and without a\u00a0VPN. [Spoiler: Swissinfo\u2019s website doesn\u2019t load in the country without one.] <\/p>\n Authorities began throttling access for YouTube\u2019s 55 million daily users in\u00a0Russia in\u00a0July 2024. After that, nearly\u00a040% of\u00a0Russians turned to\u00a0VPNs, according to\u00a0the Levada Center, an\u00a0independent research group. Russian officials described the move as\u00a0a\u00a0\u201cforced measure\u201d.<\/p>\n The crackdown has spread to\u00a0messaging apps. On\u00a0August\u00a013, Roskomnadzor, the state media regulator, restricted calls on\u00a0WhatsApp and Telegram, calling them \u201cmain voice services used to\u00a0deceive and extort money, and to\u00a0involve Russian citizens in\u00a0sabotage and terrorist activities\u201d. Google Meet quickly jumped to\u00a0second place in\u00a0free app downloads in\u00a0the Russian App Store, TASS reported. But exiled media outletsExternal link<\/a> say the service is\u00a0already unstable, and a\u00a0senior lawmaker has warned it\u00a0too could be\u00a0banned.<\/p>\n Russia is joining <\/a>other authoritarian states in limiting web access, most notably China<\/a>, which introduced what was labeled a \u201cGreat Firewall\u201d in the late 1990s. Over the past decade, Beijing has steadily expanded restrictions. Swissinfo has been inaccessible in China for more than ten years. Services once available, including Skype and WhatsApp, which connected Chinese users to the outside world, are now fully blocked.<\/p>\n External Content <\/p>\n In Russia, public opinion is\u00a0divided.<\/p>\n \u201cThe more popular a\u00a0platform was, the fewer people were ready to\u00a0fully support its blocking,\u201d Levada Center director Denis Volkov toldExternal link<\/a> Russian Forbes. Older Russians tend to\u00a0back restrictions. In\u00a02018, about half supported blocking Telegram.External link<\/a><\/p>\n Geopolitical sentiment mirrors these divisions. In\u00a0May 2025, Russians named Belarus, China, Kazakhstan, India and North Korea as\u00a0their closest allies. The most hostile states, in\u00a0their view, were Germany, Britain, Ukraine, the\u00a0United States and Poland. For the first time in\u00a0two decades, the\u00a0US slipped from the top spot on\u00a0that list to\u00a0fourth.<\/p>\n Edited by Tony Barrett\/gw<\/p>\n \n More<\/p>\n More <\/p>\n Inside SWI\n <\/p>\n Our weekly newsletter on foreign affairs <\/p>\n Switzerland in a fast-moving world. Join us to follow the latest Swiss foreign policy developments. We offer the perfect immersive package. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Read more: Our weekly newsletter on foreign affairs Articles in this story <\/p>\n \n Read more<\/p>\n Next <\/p>\n Previous <\/p>\n More <\/p>\n Debunking Russian propaganda on Switzerland <\/p>\n This content was published on <\/p>\n Sep 18, 2024 <\/p>\n Russian authorities and official media claim that Swiss sanctions on Russia and Russian assets violate Switzerland\u2019s neutrality. SWI swissinfo.ch fact checks these claims. <\/p>\n![\"Newsletter](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/newsletter_teaser_foreign_affairs.jpg\")
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