Russia bans six VPN providers including Nord VPN

Roskomnadzor, Russian communications watchdog has blocked six providers of virtual proxy networks (VPNs), which people can use to circumvent government restrictions on the Internet. The Russian regulator clarified that such services include: Hola! VPN, ExpressVPN, KeepSolid VPN Unlimited, Nord VPN, Speedify VPN, IPVanish VPN - "services that violate Russian law". Four other VPN providers were also banned earlier.

The blocked VPNS NordVPN and Express VPN were among the networks blocked for allowing “access to prohibited information and resources, includes material Russian authorities have deemed as extremist as well as what the regulator said was information relating to narcotics and child pornography.

The move comes as authorities ramp up control of the Russian segment of the internet, blocking access to dozens of opposition-linked websites ahead of a parliamentary election this month, said local media reports.

"The use of services to bypass bans leads to the preservation of access to prohibited information and websites, creates conditions for illegal activities, including those related to the distribution of drugs, child pornography, extremism, and suicidal tendencies," the department said in a statement.

The statement says, by using technologies against block bypass services is an effective and justified mechanism," and "the technological processes of Russian companies included on the white lists have continued their undisrupted operations amid the full blocking of the VPN services that violate the legislation of the Russian Federation," Roskomnadzor said.