Telegram not working? Do you need a VPN?

We have made the simplest and most understandable instructions on how this technology works. Send it to everyone who doesn't have a VPN

Telegram in Russia will be completely blocked. This means it's time for you to get yourself a VPN. We are sure: if you are in the Russian Federation, you should have a VPN on both your phone and your computer. It's as important and simple as brushing your teeth.

This material answers the main questions about VPN as clearly as possible. You can understand how this technology works for yourself - and help friends and family install a VPN. Why is this necessary? Independent information helps you survive.

If you are not in Russia, generate a Magic Link or pdf (links at the end of the material) and send it to your friends who do not yet have a VPN.

Listen to the audio version of this text on Radio Medusa

This is a technology to bypass blocking. There are other types of bypass, but this is the main one.

By turning on a VPN, you connect to an intermediary server - usually in another country. This service then connects to the desired site. Roskomnadzor or providers (companies that provide you with Internet) see only the intermediary.

This is a service that provides you with a more secure Internet by additionally encrypting the connection. In principle, you don’t need to know anything more about VPNs.

Naturally, the Russian authorities are trying to fight VPNs. Sometimes even successfully. But VPN makers are quickly adapting. But it is unlikely that VPN will be completely banned: it is critically important for many companies (for example, banks).

VPN has long been a technology not for advanced users. Almost half of Russian users have turned on VPN at least once.

If you want to get your Telegram back (and at the same time Instagram, YouTube and any other service), you need a VPN.

Roskomnadzor is constantly fighting against VPNs, and not all such services work equally well in Russia (alas). Even some popular foreign VPNs cannot cope with blocking. Therefore, it is best to download a VPN based on recommendations. And have 1-2 alternative services in stock.

If you have an iPhone, the Russian app store may not have the VPN you need: Apple removed many services from there at the request of the authorities back in 2024. VPN makers are aware of this problem and usually offer instructions on how to download an alternative application.

In this article we recommend three different VPN services (this is not an advertisement). All these services support payment in rubles from a Russian card.

• Project Amnezia (here is a mirror if the site does not open). Amnezia has its own protocol (which is good) and also has a free app. It has an alternative application for iOS, which has not yet been removed from the App Store (here are installation instructions ).
• The second recommendation is PaperVPN . The iOS app is not available in the regular app store, but you can install an alternative (here are the instructions ).
• The third one is HideMyName . This service offers free trial access for 24 hours. There are also instructions on how to install the application for iOS. The developers claim that their VPN works in Russia with any telecom operators.

There are many other worthy services. If you don’t like any of the three above, we advise you to study the ratings on the websites VPN Love and Star ON CONNECT .

Now about the installation. It's usually very simple. Go to the VPN page or app store (if you need an alternative, follow the instructions on the VPN website). Download the app for your device. Register (you may need an email), pay for VPN for the required period. After this, they will send you a special key by email: you enter it in the settings, select the country from which you now want to access blocked sites (more on this below), and connect. Sometimes everything works even without a key - just after payment.

It's even easier to use: launch the application. You will be convinced that the VPN is working when you open (for example) Telegram.

Don't forget to update the application.

We strongly recommend against using unfamiliar free VPNs. A simple principle applies here: if you do not pay for the product, then you are the product.

Free VPNs often make money by spying on users or reselling their data. There was a case when a popular extension for bypassing blocking took screenshots from user screens. Research shows that free VPNs often transfer data to Russian (!) servers.

If you don’t want your data to end up in the hands of Russian security forces, it’s better not to take risks and use paid VPNs. Your access to a free Internet and your security are worth the money. Moreover, in most cases, VPN can be paid for with a Russian card.

Are all free VPNs dangerous?

No. Some offer limited free versions in hopes that you will upgrade to a paid plan. There are VPNs that exist thanks to volunteers, and services whose complex installation makes them unpopular. If you want to try a free option, try Geph for example. But our general recommendation remains the same: install a paid service.

When you use a VPN, you seem to turn into a user of another country - perhaps, from the point of view of the Russian authorities, “unfriendly”. This does not increase your risks in any way, but some Russian sites will not open for you.

Inside the VPN, you can change the country from which you are logging in. Choose any one that is not part of the European Union. The countries of the Middle East and Asia are performing well - or, for example, Albania.

In addition, some applications and sites understand that you have a VPN (this is also safe) and require you to turn it off. This is how Russian banks sometimes behave. In this case, the easiest way is to turn off the VPN for a while.

No, using a VPN is not prohibited in Russia. Only advertising of VPNs that bypass blocks is prohibited. In addition, the use of a VPN is considered an aggravating circumstance when committing crimes (as, for example, being intoxicated). But VPN is a completely legal technology.

Russian authorities are fighting VPNs themselves, not their users. For example, in February, Roskomnadzor announced that it had restricted access to 469 VPN services. But while some services are being blocked, others are appearing.

Most likely not, although Roskomnadzor is tightening restrictions. Now the agency is trying to determine the protocol through which data is transmitted and block it, rather than individual servers. This allows you to quickly disable “enemy services.” Services are fighting back, finding ways to counteract blocking.

But it is unlikely that the authorities will decide to completely ban VPNs. This technology is important for businesses and other organizations. Therefore, new protocols will always appear to provide the necessary security.

But the authorities, of course, will not encourage the use of VPNs. For example, the MAX messenger (which we strongly advise you not to use) looks at whether the user has a VPN enabled, whether some blocked sites are accessible, and sends this information to its servers. This apparently allows the government to collect statistics on VPN usage.

Unfortunately no. And Roskomnadzor itself, when blocking any protocol, immediately disables all VPNs that use it. Be prepared that the VPN you choose may need to change at some point. That's why it's so important to have a spare on hand.

But usually service developers themselves introduce new servers and change protocols. Therefore, you need to update the VPN application on both your phone and computer.

You can also make your own VPN. It is cheaper, the likelihood of being blocked in this case is much less, you can connect any number of devices to it - but all this requires certain technical skills.

And keep in mind: most likely, you will need a foreign bank card to pay for the rental of an intermediary server abroad. If you're confident, start with instructions like this one . If not, ask your friends. There are so many VPN users in Russia that someone definitely has experience setting up such servers.

Be sure to send this material to your friends who don't yet have a VPN, but with whom you want to stay connected. Here is a “magic” link that will open in Russia without a VPN. Or you can simply download and send a pdf file with instructions to your friends.

We will update this material regularly.

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Department "Analysis"