Exclusive-U.S. targets Russia with tech to evade censorship of Ukraine news

A view of the exterior of the U.S. Agency for Global Media building, where government funded media company Voice of America is based, in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 14, 2022. REUTERS/Sarah Silbiger

LONDON/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government has pushed new, increased funding into three technology companies since the start of the Ukraine conflict to help Russians sidestep censors and access Western media, according to five people familiar with the situation.

The financing effort is focused on three firms that build Virtual Private Networks (VPN) - nthLink, Psiphon and Lantern – and is designed to support a recent surge in their Russian users, the sources said.