Security News > 2022 > March > Russian demand for VPNs skyrockets by 2,692%

"VPN demand was resurgent in Russia going into the weekend of March 12-13 as the Russian authorities banned Instagram in retaliation for parent company Meta permitting calls to violence against the Russian military to remain on its platforms," Top10VPN's Simon Migliano wrote.

Russian VPN usage peaked on March 14, with a 2,692 percent increase over average daily demand.

Usage had been rising toward those numbers for several days, with the three days prior logging demand peaks of 1,394, 1,814, and 2,088 percent.

The ban of Facebook and Twitter on March 4 caused a jump of 1,000 percent, and internet speed throttling in late February led to a spike as well.

Ukrainian use of VPNs peaked at 609 percent on March 2, toward the beginning of the conflict.

VPN demand in Ukraine rose by 544 percent in the days leading up to Russia's invasion, and more recently dropped, though still far above baseline at 389 percent increased demand over the weeks prior to the war.

News URL

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2022/03/15/russian_demand_for_vpns/