Kremlin splurges to bypass its own Western website ban

THE Kremlin has spent $10m (£7.9m) on technology to get around its own bans on accessing Western websites, according to new figures.

Since the February invasion of Ukraine, Russia’s public sector has spent millions on virtual private networks (VPNS), which allow users to bypass internet restrictions on certain websites.

A new analysis of public contracts placed by Russian state agencies reveals how much the country has spent getting around its own internet blocks.

Researcher Katherine Barnett, from TOP10VPN, a comparison website, said: “Of the 236 contracts made public, 188 relate to government agencies. Ironically, these documents reveal state officials need to circumvent their own government’s censorship of the internet in Russia.”

Since the war began, Vladimir Putin’s government has limited access to Western websites including Instagram, Facebook, a number of news websites, Amnesty International and Chess.com – the latter for condemning the war and organising pro-ukraine fundraisers.

The single biggest spender on VPNS, according to TOP10VPN, was the interior ministry’s outpost in the central Russian city of Krasnoyarsk. Officials there have spent $1.7m on VPN services since late February.

Dmitry Peskov, Mr Putin’s spokesman, admitted in April using VPNS, telling a Belarusian news channel: “Yes, of course. Why not? It’s not banned.”

A day after Mr Peskov’s admission, Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged ordinary Russians to install the technology, saying it could help them see the truth behind the Kremlin’s war crimes.

‘These documents reveal state officials need to circumvent their own government’s censorship’

VPNS operate by routing users’ web traffic through digital tunnels that help disguise its true origin and destination. While not impossible to block, they can raise costs for organisations hoping to block access to particular websites from inside certain areas or regions.

Critics of VPNS say operators of such services gain valuable insights into, and, potentially, control over, customers’ web browsing habits.

In 2020, the Australian consumer protection regulator sued Facebook for allegedly using its Onavo Protect VPN service to secretly spy on its users. The case is ongoing.