Roskomnadzor in Russia Pushes for Removal of 47 VPNs from Google Play Amid Cloudflare-Linked Disruptions

• Around 1.5 million Cloudflare IPs were blocked on March 19, affecting TikTok, Twitch, Epic Games, and Duolingo.
• Roskomnadzor targets Cloudflare’s ECH technology, claiming it helps bypass restrictions.
• Critics fear the reducing digital rights as Russia blocks more privacy tools.

In a major step to tighten control over internet access, Russia’s federal executive body responsible for media and telecommunications, Roskomnadzor, has asked Google to remove 47 VPN apps from its Play Store. This marks the largest such request in six months, as Russia continues its efforts to block tools that help users bypass online restrictions.

The move follows widespread internet disruptions in Russia, reportedly linked to issues with Cloudflare, a major internet infrastructure provider. Russia has previously banned multiple VPN services in 2024. But now, in 2025, between March 15 and March 21, Roskomnadzor sent multiple takedown notices targeting popular VPN services like 1.1.1.1 + WARP, HideMyNetVPN, VPN4TV, and Secure VPN. These requests were documented by the Lumen Database, a platform that tracks global content removal efforts.

According to Roskomnadzor, the basis for this action lies in Russia’s law No. 149-FZ, “On Information, Information Technologies, and Information Protection.” The regulator accuses these VPNs of providing access to banned content, thereby violating Russian internet laws. In fact, Russia has also been taking steps to limit access to research and scientific data, with plans to block scientific and technical information through VPNs.

The crackdown happened at the same time as major internet problems on March 19, affecting people in the Urals and Siberia. Many users could not access TikTok, Twitch, Epic Games, and Duolingo, leading to complaints. 

Roskomnadzor blamed these disruptions on foreign server failures but did not specifically name Cloudflare, “The inoperability of some Russian services is related to the use of foreign server infrastructure where failures are recorded."

However, Tech experts on the ntc.party forum said that the internet issues happened because Russia blocked access to Cloudflare’s services. Supporting this stance further, the Tech Talk Telegram channel reported that about 1.5 million Cloudflare IP addresses were blocked, causing major internet problems.

One of the key reasons behind Roskomnadzor’s dispute with Cloudflare is its use of Encrypted Client Hello (TLC ECH), a technology that protects user privacy (including meta data) by hiding online activity. Russian authorities claim this makes it harder for them to enforce internet restrictions and track user activity.

• Earlier in 2023, Apple removed 25 VPN apps from the Russian App Store, demonstrating the country's continued efforts to limit online privacy tools.
• Then again, in 2024, Apple further removed 100 VPN apps from the Russian iOS App Store to aid Russia in its ever-growing censorship.
• And then, in November 2024, Roskomnadzor’s Center for Monitoring and Network Management further advised Russian entities to stop using Cloudflare due to the same concerns.

But now, with this new wave of VPN takedown requests, Russia is taking an even stricter approach to controlling internet access. While officials insist that these actions protect national law, critics argue that Russia's growing restrictions on VPNs and privacy tools put citizens’ digital freedoms at risk.

Despite its seriousness, till now, neither Roskomnadzor nor Google has issued an official statement addressing this development. However, the situation highlights the increasing friction between government-led internet controls and the growing global demand for digital privacy and freedom.

As the standoff continues, users, tech companies, and rights groups are closely watching how Russia’s internet governance policies evolve—and what it means for the future of online access in the country.