The Federal Antimonopoly Service has for the first time applied the new law prohibiting the promotion of VPN services in Russia, Vedomosti writes.
According to the Vologda FAS department, VPN advertising posted in a Telegram channel in the form of active links was recognized as improper. The reason for the investigation was an appeal from the Center for Combating Extremism of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the Vologda region.
By the time the case was considered, the publications had already been removed, so no order was issued to the channel owner. However, the issue of bringing him to administrative responsibility remains open, the department clarified.
At the same time, a similar proceeding was initiated by the FAS department for the Khabarovsk Territory. There, the basis was VPN advertising in the business account catalog of WhatsApp, where a link to a Telegram bot providing access to the circumvention service was posted.
The law prohibiting VPN advertising came into force on September 1, 2025. It applies to all types of public promotion — in social networks, messengers, blogs and other online platforms. Violation of the norm is regarded as advertising of means to circumvent restrictions established by Russian law and may entail administrative liability.
Lawyers note that the decision of the Vologda UFAS was the first application of the new ban in practice. The regulator has effectively equated any publication with a link to a VPN to advertising, even without a direct call to circumvent blocking. According to experts, the service has taken an expansive position: VPN is recognized as a means of circumventing restrictions by its nature, which means that any mention with the possibility of transition already falls under the law.
Experts point out that it is difficult to identify the advertiser in such cases, since most VPN services are registered outside of Russia. At the same time, responsibility extends to both channel owners and foreign citizens if advertising is published in prohibited social networks.
