[DigitalToday reporter Jae-won Choi] Russia is sharply increasing its budget for internet censorship infrastructure and is also intensifying pressure on overseas internet access via VPNs.

Tech outlet TechRadar reported on Sunday that the Russian government is pursuing a budget plan to invest 19.87 billion roubles (about 314.34 billion won) in 2027 in the automated internet filtering system ASBI. That is about double the previous plan of 9.87 billion roubles (about 156.14 billion won). Related spending for 2027 to 2029 is expected to reach about 60 billion roubles (about 948.6 billion won), and the budget of federal communications and internet watchdog Roskomnadzor is also expected to rise sharply.

ASBI is a system that analyses and blocks traffic through TSPU threat-response equipment installed at internet service providers. It is used to restrict access to websites or slow down specific VPN protocols. Russian authorities aim to raise VPN blocking efficiency to 92 percent by 2030 and expand ASBI processing capacity to 954 Tbit per second, 2.5 times the current level.

Economic pressure measures are also being discussed again. The Ministry of Digital Development is reviewing a plan with telecommunications companies to impose separate charges for international traffic on 5G networks that exceeds 50 GB a month. VPN users could be affected because they route through overseas servers. Telecommunications companies currently lack technology to distinguish 5G and LTE international traffic in real time for billing, and the government has not made a final decision.

Regulation of server providers is also expected to be tightened. The Anti-Fraud 3.0 bill, which has entered a public comment period, includes provisions barring Russian hosting firms from providing servers to VPN and proxy operators that fall under Roskomnadzor registration. Companies would also be required to verify customer identity and the purpose of using physical and virtual servers.

VPN blocking methods are also becoming more sophisticated, shifting from simple IP blocking to deep packet inspection and selective throttling. The industry says VPN firms are responding by changing protocols and obfuscating traffic, but expects the number of public VPNs that can be accessed reliably in Russia to keep falling.