A new Russian internet censorship drive could hamper crypto users’ attempts to access overseas exchanges, mining pools, and information services, warn experts.
Their comments came after Roskomnadzor, the Russian media censor, leaked details of a $29 million plan to use machine learning to crack down on virtual private network usage and sites that use mirrors to avoid censorship.
Russian crypto users should expect “increased instability” when accessing overseas crypto platforms, such as exchanges, analytical platforms, API services, and remote management channels, particularly if they rely on commercial VPNs to access them, Anton Gontarev, the commercial director of the crypto mining firm Intelion, told Russian media outlet RBC.
Many major international crypto exchanges block or severely restrict users with Russian IP addresses.
Roskomnadzor’s web censorship drive may not be explicitly aimed directly at Russian crypto users for now, but the crackdown is expanding fast. And with VPNs in Moscow’s sights, experts say crypto users may be caught in the crossfire.
Caught in crossfire
Moscow stepped up its war on VPNs last year, banning ads for the services and barring the use of VPNs that explicitly circumvent Roskomnadzor’s access blocks.
“Artificial intelligence speeds up the search for VPNs and mirror sites, automating tasks that were previously carried out manually,” Igor Biryukov, the CEO of the security provider InfEra Security, told the Russian media outlet BFM.
These new tools will change the way Russian web traffic flows, Gontarev said.
“That means [censors] are reducing the general public’s access to foreign crypto infrastructure,” he added.
At least 260 VPN services were blocked in Russia last year, in addition to 1.2 million web pages.
Access to web resources important to Russian crypto traders and miners could well be actively blocked in the near future, Nikita Zuborev, senior analyst at the crypto exchange Bestchange, told RBC.
Zuborev said if Moscow moves ahead with plans to regulate Russian crypto exchanges, it could use Roskomnadzor’s new AI tools to block overseas platforms that have not received regulatory approval.
Foreign crypto exchanges popular with Russian users may be allowed to remain in the market subject to obtaining a license, the Russian crypto market analyst Viktor Pershikov told the same media outlet.
But obtaining the necessary operating permits could be tricky for some operators, Pershikov explained. He said Moscow could decide to block access to overseas crypto exchanges for “failing to comply with data protection laws.”
Russian law states that services that hold Russian citizens’ personal data cannot do so on servers that are located in Europe or the United States.
Last month, censors in Belarus, one of Russia’s closest political allies, blocked citizens’ access to the crypto exchanges Bybit, Bitget, and OKX.
