Russia Continues Its Censorship Campaign, Fines Google 22.8 Million Rubles for Distributing VPNs

There's a certain type of government that just can't sleep at night knowing its citizens have access to a private internet connection. One of the best examples in this category is, of course, Russia, where this week, that paranoia took a very official, very combative form.

Moscow's Tagansky District Court ordered Google LLC to pay 22.8 million rubles (roughly $298,600) because VPN apps were available for download on Google Play. Six of them, to be exact, which make for six administrative violations and six reasons Russia decided to haul one of the world's biggest tech companies into court.

The Court Case Google Didn't Think Was Worth Attending

Russia's internet regulator, Roskomnadzor, identified six instances of VPN apps being promoted in the Google Play store and sent Google formal warnings demanding their removal. Google ignored them, so Roskomnadzor escalated the situation, filing administrative violation protocols with the court under Part 2 of Article 13.41 of Russia's Administrative Code, which basically is a law that lets Russia demand any online platform remove content it doesn't like. Not that it’s in a position to demand anything from anyone.

The court found Google guilty on all six counts and issued a combined fine of 22.8 million rubles. Understandably, Google didn’t send a representative to be present at the hearing, and so the case was ruled on without them.

It's a remarkable thing to watch. A government so threatened by privacy tools that it takes a global tech giant to court just for listing them in an app store.

Russia Has Been Building to This for Years

Russia has been tightening its grip on the internet for years, and the pace is accelerating. In early 2025, Roskomnadzor demanded that 47 VPN apps be removed from the Google Play Store, a move that coincided with the mass blocking of Cloudflare IP addresses and widespread internet outages across eastern Russia. More recently, Russia banned Telegram and WhatsApp, which is yet another pattern that has been going on for years.

The through-line is obvious. Any tool that gives Russians access to uncensored information or a way to communicate without state oversight ends up in the Kremlin's crosshairs. VPNs, messaging apps, and even financial tools. Russia is systematically dismantling every digital escape route available to its citizens, and it’s genuinely scary.

Every time Russia blocks something new, demand for VPNs spikes. Which is exactly why getting rid of them is such a priority.

This Fine Is a Warning Shot, Not a Conclusion

Let's be clear about what 22.8 million rubles actually means for Google. It's pocket change. Google's parent company, Alphabet, generates billions in revenue every quarter. This fine wouldn’t hurt them financially even if they did pay it, which they most likely won’t.

But that's not the point. The point is that Russia is now willing to use its courts to punish platforms that don't comply with censorship demands. It's a precedent. And the next fine won't be 22.8 million rubles – it'll be bigger, and it'll keep growing until platforms either comply or pull out of the Russian market entirely.

When a government fines a company for letting people download privacy tools, it's not really about the law. Russia doesn't want its citizens to have access to a free internet, and it will use every legal mechanism available to make sure they don't.