Russian users will soon be unable to connect to Kaspersky’s VPN service.
The Moscow-based company has announced that it intends to halt the operation and sale of its Secure Connection VPN service, assuring users that the process will be gradual to have as little impact as possible.
The company’s free VPN version is set to be suspended from November 15, with paying customers able to subscribe until December 2022 and enjoy the service until the end of 2023.
VPNs in Russia face increasing pressure
The company announced the details of the closure in a blog post (opens in a new tab)explaining that “the situation is completely similar to Kaspersky Secure Connection, which is part of various integrated solutions for home users.”
This means that for all users who have already paid for the security package, the application will be available until the subscription expires, and vice versa – users of its free option have only a few days to look around for alternatives.
Kaspersky further noted that this decision will only apply to people in Russia.
“The Russian-language version of the application will continue to be available on Kaspersky Lab websites and in mobile application stores. For non-Russian users, the set of available features and VPN servers will not change.
TechRadar Pro contacted Kaspersky inquiring about the reason for the move, but a company spokesperson said that he could not say anything more about the decision at the moment.
What is certain is that the Kremlin has been actively fighting Russian VPNs for some time.
Last year, the country’s telecommunications watchdog Roskomnadzor blocked some top VPN providers. These include some of the biggest names on the market, such as ExpressVPN, NordVPN, and IPVanish.
And while the use of such security services has skyrocketed among Russians after the war in Ukraine, authorities have confirmed their intention to block VPN software that violates Russian law by granting access to illegal content.
At the same time, providers that fail to comply with the requirement to connect to the Federal Information System, which enables state censorship and control of user activities, will also be forced to leave the country.
The newer so-called Order of Roskomnadzor (opens in a new tab) to state-owned companies to share details about their use of VPN services.
By Beeping Computer (opens in a new tab)