In recent days, the use of VPNs has grown by almost 2,000% in Russia and the question is why is this happening? The truth is that there are precise dates and data; For example, interest in this type of network began to increase on February 16, 2022, shortly after the first cyberattack on Ukraine and on the eve of the invasion.
Although on other occasions we have told you that it is a VPN; it is important to recapitulate a little. These tools are a service that allows you to stealthily browse and mask your IP address , as well as encrypt your online activity. These capabilities ensure that third parties cannot access your online traffic, such as your service provider or the government… In this case, with greater emphasis on the latter.
Due to the immense level of blocking of web pages and news media within Russia , users have chosen to use this type of platform, which is the perfect ally to overcome censorship.
One of the most interesting cases is that of Atlas VPN; not because it is giving free subscriptions to journalists in Ukraine, but because of the huge growth this specific app had during the month of February.
- By February 25, a day after the invasion began, this app had grown in downloads by 241 percent from Russia.
- On February 26, VPN installs originating from Russia soared 1,076 percent.
This number can increase even more. If the events between Ukraine and Russia continue, more users will connect in this way to protect their data, overcome censorship and be able to navigate away from the gaze of the government.
Finding a VPN provider in Russia is complex. Although this service is legal in that nation, the government has been increasingly regulating the providers of this service since 2017, when a bill was issued to limit access to certain platforms of this type.
So far, only Kaspersky is keeping its Russian servers operational , while other providers have closed operations. The recommendation is to use VPN tools that operate with servers outside of Russia.
