Virtual private networks have surged in Russia in the aftermath of its invasion of Ukraine — and in even greater numbers since the country’s crackdown on mass media.
In total, the top 10 VPN apps have been downloaded more than 4.6 million times in Russia since the beginning of the invasion Feb. 24. This allows Russian users to browse the internet freely despite countrywide bans.
Appfigures, which provides app analytics, reported its latest estimates Monday.
The Google Play Store saw more VPN downloads, with 3.3 million, than its counterpart, the Apple App Store, which had 1.3 million. The Russian government has the ability to block both app stores but so far has not.
[JUST UPDATED] VPN Apps Save Millions from Censorship in ?? #Russia https://t.co/M6S29oZ8tH pic.twitter.com/dpP3im112i
— Appfigures (@appfigures) March 7, 2022
“And our estimates are very conservative here,” the firm wrote.
SOCIAL MEDIA FIRMS CAUGHT UP IN RUSSIA-UKRAINE CONFLICT
Leading up to the ban on Facebook, the social media platform saw a significant increase in downloads, from 12,000 per day to just over 22,000 the day the ban went into effect. Now, Russian users are only able to access the platform with a VPN.
“We will continue to do everything we can to restore our services so they remain available to safely and securely express themselves and organize for action.” Facebook President of Global Affairs Nick Clegg said in statement Feb 27, when the platform was officially banned.
Meanwhile, Facebook took down two anti-Ukrainian disinformation operations last week that were tied to a Russian propaganda outlet created to make Ukraine look like a failed state.
Russia went on to ban YouTube and Twitter as well. These bans came as the platforms began censoring and flagging misinformation from state-sponsored accounts, such as news outlets RT and Sputnik.
Then, both chambers of the Russian parliament passed legislation “making it a criminal offense to spread fake information,” with a maximum sentence of 15 years. Russian President Vladimir Putin was quick to sign it into law.
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Facebook previously reported 66 million Russian users, while Twitter toted 9 million, according to a report. In 2017 and 2018, Russia had purportedly earned $7 million-$32 million in ad revenue across 26 state-backed YouTube channels.
