Over a Quarter of Russians Continue to Access Facebook and Instagram via VPN

According to a study conducted by Otkritie Bank, 26% of Russians continue to access Facebook and Instagram—both owned by Meta, which is banned in Russia—by using VPN services. The research found that nearly a third of respondents (30%) have reduced their use of these platforms due to the need for a VPN. However, 26% have not stopped using Facebook, Instagram, and other blocked services, noting that using them is not prohibited by law. The highest proportion of those who continue to use these platforms as before is in the Ural region (32%) and the Moscow region (30%), while the lowest is in the Southern Federal District (15%).

After Facebook, Instagram, and other social networks were blocked in Russia, 39% of respondents said they stopped using them entirely. This response was most common among residents of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region (48%), and least common in the North Caucasus (24%) and the Far East (31%). Another 5% stopped using blocked social networks out of fear. Additionally, 90% of respondents have been using social networks for more than five years.

Russian services such as VKontakte and Odnoklassniki are used by 88% of respondents, with another 4% starting to use them after foreign social networks were blocked. Two percent do not use Russian social networks or services but want to start, while 6% said they do not plan to use Russian social networks at all.

When it comes to app stores, 71% of respondents said they would use a Russian alternative to the App Store and Google Play. Nine percent are opposed to the idea, believing that Russia will not be able to create an effective alternative. Eight percent said they would still look for ways to use the App Store and Google Play, and 11% do not use such services at all.

Background on the Block and VPN Usage

Facebook and Instagram were blocked by the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office in March of this year after the agency found “informational materials containing calls for violent actions against citizens of the Russian Federation, including military personnel.” Later, Meta—the company that owns both services—was declared an extremist organization. However, WhatsApp, which is also owned by Meta, was not blocked by Russian authorities.

The organization Roskomsvoboda considers VPNs an important tool for maintaining privacy and security online, as well as for bypassing government censorship. They have published materials on this topic, including:

• Do I Need a VPN and How Do I Choose One?
• My VPN Service Was Blocked. What Should I Do?

They also recommend using trusted services listed on the website VPNlove.me.

Roskomsvoboda believes that everyone has the right to:

• freely access information on the internet;
• anonymity and privacy;
• security;
• convenient access to the information they need.

The organization opposes censorship and unlawful blockages, which authorities in many countries implement without due process, legal grounds, or common sense.