Putin mistakenly thinks it’s 1955 and that media suppression can douse inconvenient information. For almost three decades now, curious Russian people have consumed the international press and learned how manipulative official media can be. Many have traveled to the West, too, and attended college abroad, which has given them the critical perspective that might have been denied to their parents. The internet has provided a window on the world through which Russians can judge their own country.
Even though Putin now controls Russian media, he can’t prevent inquiring Russians from using VPN accounts to breach the official blockade of news and social media on the internet. According to one source, demand for VPNs in Russia has risen dramatically since the media clampdown, as have downloads of Telegram and Signal, two encrypted messaging apps. A Russian with a computer and an internet connection can be as well informed about the war as any Westerner if they ignore Putin’s don’t-look-up order - and many Russian citizens are doing just that.
