Russians Juggle Multiple Phones, VPNs to Dodge Internet Crackdown
Tightening internet controls in Russia are pushing citizens toward creative workarounds including VPNs and multiple devices.
Russia has ratcheted up control over the internet this year, and its citizens are fighting back with low-tech ingenuity. Some Russians now carry multiple phones and rely heavily on VPNs to bypass increasingly strict online restrictions.
The workarounds are becoming part of daily life. In cafes with free Wi-Fi, users quietly fire up virtual private networks just to access services that were once freely available. It's digital survival mode.
The escalation marks a significant shift in how ordinary people — not just activists or journalists — interact with the web. Interior designers, coffee shop regulars, and everyday internet users are now adopting tools that were once the domain of privacy enthusiasts.
The cat-and-mouse game between state censorship and citizen circumvention continues to intensify, with no signs of slowing down.