“A clear escalation in Russia's crackdown on digital privacy tools” – experts warn against recent VPN disappearances in Russia

The VPN purge from Russian official app stores continues, with smaller providers becoming the new target after Apple and Google. Between May 15 and 16, 2025, Samsung and Xiaomi both removed the AdGuard VPN application at the Roskomnadzor’s demand. At least one more VPN provider, HideMyName VPN, has also been removed from the Huawei Store in Russia and China - a Russian VPN digital rights group, VPN Guild, confirmed to TechRadar. “The removal of VPN apps from app stores marks a clear escalation in Russia's crackdown on digital privacy tools,” said VPN Guild Chair Alexey Kozliuk. Not an isolated incident…