Authorities have decided that for now, Russians will not have to pay for using VPN. This was reported by RBC, citing three sources in the telecom market. Initially, fees for international traffic exceeding the limit were planned to launch before May 1, then the deadline was pushed to June 1, and now a postponement “closer to autumn” is being discussed. We already covered in detail how much VPN traffic would cost in Russia and how it was supposed to work. Now we’re explaining what has changed and what to expect next.
Russia has postponed the introduction of VPN traffic fees
Why Russia Decided to Postpone VPN Traffic Fees
According to media reports, the main reason for postponing VPN fees is technical unreadiness. Telecom operators and digital platforms needed additional time to prepare infrastructure and run tests. That’s exactly why the deadline was already pushed once — from May 1 to June 1, and now sources say VPN fees won’t be required until autumn.
Russia is not yet ready to start charging for VPN
A telling detail: at the time of publication, the “Big Four” mobile operators had not sent subscribers any notifications about tariff changes. By law, they must provide at least 10 days’ notice before changing conditions. This indirectly confirms that fees will definitely not be introduced by June 1.
How Much Will International VPN Traffic Cost
The plan involves additional charges for international traffic exceeding 15 GB per month on mobile networks. In other words, everything you use on foreign services via VPN beyond this limit would be billed separately. The idea, according to media reports, belongs to the head of the Ministry of Digital Development, Maksut Shadaev — he proposed in late March to combat VPN through economic measures rather than just blocking.
Meanwhile, domestic services had previously stopped working with VPN. This primarily affected marketplaces. Their apps blocked such connections, although web versions continued to work. This loophole is gradually being closed.
The logic is as follows: when the growth of international traffic overloads existing communication channels, operators themselves will begin filtering it or raising the cost of access to foreign services. Essentially — an “economic filter” instead of a direct ban.
Why Russia Can’t Block VPN
The main problem is that internet traffic has no “nationality”. As IT industry experts have explained, a data packet doesn’t carry a flag of any particular country — technically separating “international” traffic from domestic and correctly billing it is extremely difficult. VPN encrypts the destination, masking exactly where a request is going.
VPN in Russia won’t be charged for now. It’s possible they may never be able to introduce such fees
Even the head of the Human Rights Council, Valery Fadeyev, stated in mid-May about the impossibility of a complete VPN ban in Russia. This means any economic measures risk hitting not so much VPN users as ordinary consumers who accidentally exceed the limit.
What This Means for Regular Users
For now — nothing critical. Fees have been postponed, there are no notifications from operators, and until autumn, everything will most likely remain as it is. But it’s too early to relax: the decision to block VPN in Russia is still in effect, and authorities clearly intend to follow through with their chosen measures, albeit with deadline postponements.
You won’t have to pay for VPN until autumn. But you shouldn’t let your guard down
If you actively use foreign services, it makes sense to estimate your monthly international traffic consumption in advance — those 15 GB run out faster than you’d think, especially if you watch videos or listen to music via VPN. We’ll be tracking all the details and new deadlines and publishing them as official information becomes available. For now, let’s enjoy the fact that as of June 1, there will be no VPN traffic fees until autumn. What happens next — only time will tell.
