Russia Censors the Internet. Russians Find Ways Around It. Censors Have Always Been Bad at This.

What Happened

Russian authorities have expanded internet restrictions, blocking or throttling access to independent news sources, social media platforms, and VPNs in an effort to control information flow around the war in Ukraine and domestic policy. Despite these measures, Russians are increasingly and openly questioning Kremlin decisions, suggesting the censorship is failing to suppress dissent entirely.

Historical Context

History is unkind to information censors. The Soviet Union jammed Western radio broadcasts for decades — citizens built homemade receivers. China's "Great Firewall", arguably the world's most sophisticated censorship apparatus, has 90+ million VPN users. Iran blocked Instagram and WhatsApp in 2022 during the Mahsa Amini protests; VPN downloads surged 3,000% in days. East Germany had the Stasi monitor 1-in-63 citizens — and still collapsed in 1989. The pattern is consistent: restricting information slows dissent, it does not stop it. The Streisand Effect — where attempts to suppress information increase its spread — was named in 2005 but describes a phenomenon as old as power itself.

What's In Your Control

Whether you consume this story as a sign of imminent Russian revolution (it isn't) or as a data point in a long historical pattern (it is). If you have family or friends in Russia, knowing that VPNs remain accessible — though increasingly restricted — is practically useful.

Does This Require Action?

For most readers: awareness only. This is a slow-moving story years in the making, not a breaking development. Permission granted to read once and move on.