{
  "id": 908929,
  "title": "Gemini’s VPN workaround stops working for some users in Russia",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/14/geminis-vpn-workaround-stops-working-for-some-users-in-russia",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-08-14T20:13:14.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Meduza (English)",
    "slug": "meduza-english",
    "url": "https://meduza.io/en/news/2026/08/14/gemini-s-vpn-workaround-stops-working-for-some-users-in-russia"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Google's Gemini AI service has experienced a disruption in Russia, impacting some users who tried to access it through a VPN, according to reports from Kod.ru, a Russian tech outlet. This issue coincided with the launch of Gemini 3.7 Flash, an updated version of the AI model. Experts suggest that the problem could arise from how VPN services function or how Google identifies users' locations. Many VPN services typically exclude google.com and other Google services from the encrypted tunnel to enhance speed. This means that when users access Google services directly, their real IP addresses are revealed, leading Google to determine the user's location within Russia, despite their connection being via a VPN server in a different country. Google has also increasingly utilized a blend of behavioral signals, including location data from Google Maps, to ascertain a user's location. If multiple users in Russia consistently connect through a specific VPN server, Google's algorithms may start associating that server with the Russian jurisdiction, despite the physical location of the server being elsewhere. Meduza, the news outlet, maintains transparency regarding its usage of artificial intelligence in the newsroom. This particular story was authored by a human journalist and translated into English, following strict editorial standards and undergoing review before publication. Readers interested in Meduza's exclusive content in English can subscribe to receive updates.",
  "summary": "Google’s Gemini AI has stopped working for some users in Russia, according to complaints on the Downdetector website. Kod.ru, a Russian tech outlet, flagged the outage.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}