The Gosuslugi app has stopped opening when VPN is enabled. When trying to log in, a notification appears on the screen: "To ensure the app works correctly, disable VPN. Access is restricted for security reasons."
Users are offered either to disable the bypass service or switch to offline mode with limited functionality. At the same time, the web version of the gosuslugi.ru portal opens without restrictions with VPN enabled.
Restrictions for VPN traffic are being introduced in accordance with the recommendations of the Ministry of Digital Development, according to which, from April 15, the largest Russian online platforms must restrict access to users of circumvention tools. Previously, similar measures have already been applied by the Ozon and Wildberries marketplaces, the applications of MTS, Beeline and Megafon operators, as well as a number of online cinemas, including Kinopoisk and Wink. The Yandex Pay service has also stopped working with VPN.
The distinction between the Gosuslugi app and website may be due to the technical features of traffic verification: the mobile app is able to detect a VPN connection at the device level, while the web version in the browser has fewer tools to detect circumvention tools.
The Kremlin previously stated that there is no liability for the use of VPN for citizens.