38 SHRINKING DEMOCRACY, GROWING VIOLENCE Roskomnadzor, threatened to block WhatsApp entirely if the new feature rolled out.189 sites that provide instructions for accessing VPNs, such as Wikipedia.195 The Putin regime has a history of using threats against platforms to silence the opposition. During parliamentary elections in 2021, the government successfully pressured Google and Apple to block opposition leader Alexey Navalny’s Smart Voting project app from their stores and platforms, reportedly by threatening criminal prosecution and office raids.190 Navalny was arrested that same year, and in 2024, he died in prison amid accusations of murder by the Russian government.191 In early 2024, we have already recorded incidents of Russian authorities disrupting access to mobile internet and social media platforms at night, as well as restricting access to VPNs.196 In addition to directly blocking platforms, Russian authorities are banning and blocking the tools to bypass these blocks, including virtual private networks (VPNs).192 As of November 2023, Russia had reportedly blocked the domains of eight of the 15 most popular VPN services.193 While authorities officially banned any tools that could be used for circumvention in 2020, they are now going further. As of March 1, 2024, the government has also banned any advertising of these tools.194 That could include Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict Azerbaijan perpetrated a total of five shutdowns in 2023 in the context of its ongoing territorial dispute with Armenia.197 Of these disruptions, four targeted the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region and one impacted all of Azerbaijan — all taking place alongside human rights violations and deepening the humanitarian crisis.198 189 The Moscow Times (2022). WhatsApp Drops Channels Launch in Russia Over Ban Threat. https://www.themoscowtimes. com/2023/09/26/whatsapp-drops-channels-launch-in-russia-over-ban-threat-a82564 190 Access Now (2023). Not good enough: Apple, Google bow to government pressure, censor content during Russia elections. https://www.accessnow.org/press-release/apple-google-censor-russian-elections/; see also The New York Times (2021). Google and Apple, Under Pressure From Russia, Remove Voting App. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/17/world/europe/russia-navalny-app-election.html; Financial Times (2021). Apple and Google drop Navalny app after Kremlin piles pressure. https://www.ft.com/content/faaada81-73d6-428c-8d74-88d273adbad3; Al Jazeera (2021). Why are Google and Apple still silent on Russian censorship? https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2021/11/1/why-aregoogle-and-apple-still-silent-on-russia-censorship 191 The Guardian (2024). Russian activist and Putin critic Alexei Navalny dies in prison. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/ feb/16/russian-activist-and-putin-critic-alexei-navalny-dies-in-prison 192 RosKomSvoboda (2023). VPN in Russia: from blocking services to blocking protocols. https://roskomsvoboda.org/uploads/ en__vpn_in_russia__from_blocking_services_to_blocking_protocols.pdf; see also Al Jazeera (2022). VPN use skyrockets in Russia during Ukraine invasion. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/5/7/vpn-use-skyrockets-in-russia-during-ukraine-invasion 193 OONI (2023). How Internet censorship changed in Russia during the 1st year of military conflict in Ukraine. https://ooni.org/ post/2023-russia-a-year-after-the-conflict/; RosKomSvoboda (2023). VPN in Russia: from blocking services to blocking protocols. https://roskomsvoboda.org/ru/analysis/vpn-russia-2023-eng/ 194 Tass (2024). Ban on advertising VPN services to take effect on March 1 — media watchdog. https://tass.com/ economy/1742101; see also The New York Times (2024). Russia Strengthens Its Internet Controls in Critical Year for Putin. https:// www.nytimes.com/2024/03/15/technology/russia-internet-censors-vladimir-putin.html 195 Meduza (2023). Russian government authorizes federal censor to block websites with instructions for bypassing website blocks. https://meduza.io/en/news/2023/11/18/russian-government-authorizes-federal-censor-to-block-websites-withinstructions-for-bypassing-website-blocks; Meduza (2024). Russia may block Wikipedia due to article on VPNs that help reach blocked sites, says lawmaker. https://meduza.io/en/news/2024/03/03/russia-may-block-wikipedia-due-to-article-on-vpns-thathelp-reach-blocked-sites-says-lawmaker 196 See Meduza (2024). Nighttime mobile Internet outages in Russian regions reportedly linked to anti-drone measures, not routine technical work. https://meduza.io/en/news/2024/01/29/nighttime-mobile-internet-outages-in-russian-regions-reportedlylinked-to-anti-drone-measures-not-routine-technical-work; The Moscow Times (2024). Widespread Telegram, WhatsApp Outages Reported Across Russia. https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2024/01/24/widespread-telegram-whatsapp-outages-reportedacross-russia-a83830 197 Access Now (2023). Turn TikTok on: authorities in Azerbaijan and Armenia must not restrict access. https://www.accessnow.org/press-release/tiktok-azerbaijan-armenia/ 198 See Human Rights Watch (2024). New Wave of Arrests Targets Journalists and Activists in Azerbaijan. https://www.hrw. org/news/2024/03/07/new-wave-arrests-targets-journalists-and-activists-azerbaijan; Crisis Group (2023). Responding to the Humanitarian Catastrophe in Nagorno-Karabakh. https://www.crisisgroup.org/europe-central-asia/caucasus/nagornokarabakh-conflict/responding-humanitarian-catastrophe-nagorno