About 20 owners of foreign communication channels running from Russia to Europe have signed a moratorium on their expansion. According to RBC, citing four sources, the participants in the meeting with the head of the Ministry of Digital Development, Maksut Shadayev, included MMTS-9 (MSK-IX), Transtelecom, MTS, VimpelCom, T2 Mobile, Ufanet, and Rascom. The document is aimed at combating VPN services, according to the agency's source.
The regulator's logic is based on physical restriction: VPN traffic looks like foreign traffic to operators, and as its use grows, the main lanes are filled.
Either they will try to filter it, or they will increase the cost of access to foreign services, that is, they will put up an "economic filter"
The authorities also expect that the capacity shortage will force foreign services to install servers inside Russia — otherwise, their users will face slowdowns.
Formally, the procedure should look like this: the operator requests permission from Roskomnadzor to expand the channel, and the agency refuses. Companies are required to report monthly on the volume and routes of cross-border traffic. However, the Ministry of Digital Development currently does not have the legal authority for such restrictions — amendments to legislation or a government decree are required.
Earlier, major online platforms began blocking access to users with enabled bypass, and operators began displaying warnings in applications.