It's not just Russian civilians turning to VPNs to find out what's really happening in Ukraine, state officials are spending millions on them to circumvent the censorship put in place by their own government and secure communication channels.
According to research carried out by Top10VPN, the Russian Federal Treasury has published 236 official VPN technology contracts since the war in Ukraine started. 188 of those contracts are for state institutions, while the remaining 48 are for companies regulated by public procurement law. The total spend on these VPN contracts is around $9.8 million.
Access to a VPN is required to get around the current internet limitations in the country, which block access to social media platforms, international broadcasters, civil society organizations, and even local news outlets in some cases. It will probably come as no surprise that Moscow spends the most money on VPNs ($2.4 million), where both President Putin and the Kremlin are located.
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While it's likely at least some of the time spent using a VPN within government is to view restricted content, it seems the different state departments are relying on them to offer secure communications, too. The five most expensive VPN contracts were taken out by the Ministry of the Interior, Federal Customs Service, State Budgetary Institution of Health, Joint -Stock Company "Mosinzhproekt" (handles urban planning in Moscow), and the State Institution of the Tyumen region. Their combined total spend is $3.78 million.
I wouldn't be surprised if Vladimir Putin's PC has a VPN installed, if for no other reason than to allow him to see what the rest of the world is saying about his actions. There's also got to be at least one government department keeping an eye on Western news outlets so it can quickly react by creating fresh propaganda to counter claims being made regarding what's really happening in Ukraine.