Durov Blames Russia After VPN Block Crashes Payments

04/26, EU & GER, Security & Sustainability

07/04/2026

Durov Blames Russia After VPN Block Crashes Payments

Moscow’s attempt to block VPNs backfired spectacularly on Friday. A technical failure knocked out parts of Russia’s domestic payment infrastructure, forcing the Moscow metro to open turnstiles for free and a regional zoo to ask visitors to pay in cash. Sberbank, Russia’s largest bank, confirmed an outage but offered no explanation.

Some Russian media initially linked the crash to the state’s escalating campaign against VPNs and messaging apps — then deleted those reports. Telegram founder Pavel Durov was blunt: Russia’s own digital crackdown triggered the collapse. „The entire nation is now mobilised to bypass these absurd restrictions,“ he wrote.

Russia has slowed Telegram, launched a criminal investigation against Durov, and pushed a state-backed messenger called MAX onto schools and universities. Tens of millions of Russians, Durov claims, are now part of what he calls the „digital resistance.“

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