Roskomnadzor announced on October 22 that it is taking measures "to partially restrict the operation of foreign messengers." Due to this, Telegram and WhatsApp stopped working first in the south of Russia, and then communication problems began throughout the country. Soon, Roskomnadzor confirmed that it was beginning to restrict the messenger's operation in Russia. In fact, the department moved to a full blocking of the service. In mid-February, Russians were already massively complaining about Telegram malfunctions. On February 26, RBC, citing sources close to the Kremlin, reported that in early April, Telegram could be completely blocked in Russia. The messenger is expected to work only on the front lines. Against the backdrop of increasing restrictions and mass blocking of VPN services (in 2025 alone, RKN restricted access to almost 260 of them), the issue of alternative communication is becoming extremely relevant. "Novaya-Evropa" has compiled lists of trusted VPN services and messengers that can be used for both personal communication and work - and together with experts explains how to stay connected under new restrictions. Photo: "Novaya Gazeta Europe". From the editors The material has been amended on 02/26/26 due to information about the complete blocking of Telegram Council / step #1. Use VPN First of all, experts advise using VPN services to stay connected despite the blocking. Journalist Andrey Zakharov believes that "VPN was, is, and will be the main and most convenient way to bypass various restrictions." He recommends using at least two different services, because RKN will block the most popular bypass protocols: "Roskomnadzor pressures one, the other works." The expert also advises having paid VPNs that have updated servers and whose support service can be contacted in case of problems. He emphasizes that it is still possible to pay for many services in rubles, which also helps. Mikhail Klimarev, director of the Internet Protection Society, also advises using several high-quality VPN services. He notes that this is "the only universal way." The interlocutor of "Novaya-Evropa" points out that one free VPN is indeed easy to block, and besides, it may have poor connection quality. "And there are also fraudulent VPNs. Dishonest VPN providers say they bypass whitelists. Stay away from these providers because they are lying. It is impossible to bypass, there are no technologies yet that bypass whitelists," emphasizes the expert. "Novaya-Evropa" studied the list of VPN services recommended by cybersecurity experts and compiled them in one place: Amnezia VPN: offers both free and paid subscriptions, payment by Russian and foreign cards, SBP, cryptocurrency. There is Amnezia Self-hosted - a service for creating your own VPN on your own server; hidemyname: paid, payment by foreign card, cryptocurrency, PayPal; Icegate VPN: paid, payment by foreign card, cryptocurrency, and Telegram stars; Xeovo VPN: paid, payment by foreign card, cryptocurrency, PayPal; BlancVPN: paid, payment by foreign card, cryptocurrency, and Telegram stars; Red Shield VPN from Vladislav Zdólnikov: paid, payment by foreign card, cryptocurrency, PayPal, and Telegram stars; GenVPN from VPN Generator: paid, payment by Telegram stars and foreign card. Media outlets also offer their own trusted services: Paper VPN from "Bumaga": paid, payment by Russian and foreign cards, supported by cybersecurity experts; Zóna VPN from "Mediazona", payment by Russian and foreign cards; Astra VPN from "Astra": paid, payment by foreign cards and Telegram stars; Breakfast VPN from journalist Alexander Plyushchev: paid, payment by Telegram stars and foreign card. Become a co-participant of "Novaya Gazeta" Become a co-participant of "Novaya Gazeta", subscribe to the newsletter and receive emails from the editorial office Subscribe Council / step #2. Use alternative messengers In addition to using VPNs, experts recommend downloading other messengers - besides Telegram and WhatsApp. Klimarev does not name specific applications so that Roskomnadzor does not block them in the near future. "Definitely not Russian messengers are needed. In no case should you use either "Telega" or MAX," advises the expert. Andrey Zakharov also admits that the more different messengers appear in various instructions, the faster the Russian authorities try to block them. For example, popular services Google Meet and FaceTime have started having communication problems, but they are still working. "If we are talking about confidential communication that is not available for eavesdropping through SORM (a complex of technical means and measures intended for operational-search activities. - Ed. note), then the list of messengers is quite large. The main thing is that they are not messengers made in Russia. That is, those that are not tied to SIM cards. You just register, send your ID to a person and you can communicate with them," explains the interlocutor of "Novaya-Evropa". The expert recommends the Jitsi Meet and Signal applications. Signal uses end-to-end encryption and is already quite popular among users. "In "Signal", many advise enabling the "bypass censorship" function, but people in Russia have complained to me that RKN is fighting this, so the function does not work for everyone. On Twitter, they recommended specifying Belarus as the censorship bypass location in such cases, then everything works," advises Zakharov. In Jitsi Meet, you can have video conferences or calls without using a camera. You just need to create a room and send a link to the person you want to communicate with. At the same time, the interlocutor of "Novaya-Evropa" notes: the main problem with such services is that you need to arrange calls in advance. Therefore, he urges everyone to engage in "risk gradation": - We used to call our grandmothers 10 years ago to find out how they were doing. If you are in Russia and you understand that your grandmother will not use FaceTime or another secure messenger, at best the MAX application or ordinary cellular communication, then you can call your grandmother using them. It's unpleasant that you will be eavesdropped on through SORM, but if you are not discussing political topics, you can install MAX on a separate phone. You can even turn off microphone access after each call to be calmer. At the same time, do not annoy yourself, do not try to be a cypherpunk, even when you call your grandmother and congratulate her on New Year. Although there are people who are fundamentally uncomfortable with the very fact that they are being listened to. Such people will have to, apparently, teach their grandmother to use a VPN or a secure messenger. Other backup applications that support end-to-end encryption: DeltaChat - an email client with messenger-style end-to-end encryption, only an email address is needed to use it; SimpleX - a secure messenger, does not create a user ID, it is impossible to identify the user. But it cannot be installed on a PC, only on a smartphone; Jami - a platform for messages and audio/video calls with decentralized encryption; Element - an open-source messenger supporting end-to-end encryption. Imo - an instant messaging messenger, works by phone number. It uses connection encryption, but the application works through the company's central servers, not directly between users. Suitable for smartphones and PCs. Zangi - a messenger for calls and correspondence with an emphasis on privacy, does not store messages on servers, supports registration without transferring personal data.
