Demand for VPNs in Russia, Ukraine leaps as internet control tightens

FILE PHOTO: The coat of arms of Russia is reflected in a laptop screen in this picture illustration taken February 12, 2019. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File Photo

MOSCOW (Reuters) - As Russian and Ukrainian websites fall victim to cyber attacks and Moscow restricts access to some foreign social media, internet users across both countries have turned to online tools to help circumvent the blocks.

Demand for Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) that encrypt data and obscure where a user is located has soared, data from monitoring firm Top10VPN showed, peaking 354% higher in Russia on Sunday when compared to the daily average from Feb. 16-23.