Trellis for Russia
When the Internet Is Cut Off, We Keep the Connection
Когда интернет отключают, мы сохраняем связь
Roskomnadzor blocks VPNs. SORM surveils every communication. Regional internet shutdowns silence entire populations. The Sovereign Internet Law gives the state a kill switch over the entire Russian internet. Trellis keeps working when nothing else does.
Digital Repression in Russia
Russia has built a surveillance and censorship apparatus that reaches every ISP, every mobile carrier, and every digital communication in the country.
Internet Blacklist Created
Roskomnadzor establishes Russia's first centralized internet blacklist. Initially targeting "extremist" content, it rapidly expands to block independent media, political opposition sites, and any platform that refuses to cooperate with Russian authorities.
VPN Ban Signed into Law
Russia criminalizes "unauthorized" VPN and proxy services. VPN providers must register with the government and connect to the state blacklist. Non-compliant services face blocking. Individual users face fines. The legal framework for total digital control is laid.
Telegram Blocked
Roskomnadzor attempts to block Telegram after it refuses to hand over encryption keys. Millions of IP addresses blocked in the process, taking down collateral services across Russia. Telegram uses domain fronting to survive. The state eventually gives up — then later monitors it instead.
Sovereign Internet Law
Russia passes the "Sovereign Internet" law, requiring all ISPs to install deep packet inspection equipment controlled by Roskomnadzor. The law gives the state the ability to isolate Russia's internet from the global network entirely — creating a kill switch over the entire RuNet.
Wartime Censorship
After February 2022, Russia blocks Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and hundreds of independent news outlets. VPN usage surges 2,000% in days. Authorities respond by aggressively blocking VPN protocols. Regional shutdowns deployed during protests in Dagestan, Moscow, and other cities. SORM-3 upgraded.
RuNet Isolation Testing
Russia conducts periodic tests disconnecting from the global internet. The goal: a fully self-contained Russian internet where all external information is controlled. Each test lasts longer. Each test disconnects more services. The digital iron curtain descends.
“Russia is building a digital authoritarian model that other countries are copying. The Sovereign Internet Law is not about security. It is about control.”— Access Now, Digital Rights Organization
SORM Sees Everything. Until Now.
SORM (System for Operative Investigative Activities) gives FSB direct access to all communications on every Russian ISP. Every call, every message, every website visit — logged and searchable.
SORM-3 Deep Packet Inspection
Every ISP in Russia is required to install SORM equipment. It captures full traffic content, not just metadata. FSB has real-time access without a court order. Your VPN handshake is visible. Your protocol is identifiable. Your connection is logged.
Regional Internet Shutdowns
During protests in Dagestan, Ingushetia, and Moscow, authorities cut mobile internet entirely. No warning. No timeline for restoration. Thousands of people isolated from information, from their families, from the world. Shutdowns last days or weeks.
VPN Protocol Blocking
Roskomnadzor now identifies and blocks VPN protocols in real time. OpenVPN, WireGuard, IPSec — all detected by traffic fingerprinting. VPN providers are blocked within hours of being discovered. The cat-and-mouse game accelerates, and the state has SORM on its side.
“SORM gives the FSB the ability to monitor any communication in Russia in real time, without judicial oversight. It is the backbone of digital surveillance in the country.”— Andrei Soldatov, author of “The Red Web”
Built to Defeat SORM and the Sovereign Internet
Every feature in Trellis is designed to work in the Russian surveillance environment — where the state has real-time access to all traffic and the power to isolate the entire internet.
obfs4 & Meek Bridges
Tor-style pluggable transports that make your traffic look like random noise (obfs4) or normal cloud service requests (Meek). SORM-3 DPI cannot distinguish these from legitimate traffic. Bridge addresses distributed through trusted channels, not public directories.
WireGuard with Stealth Wrapper
WireGuard's speed with an obfuscation layer that defeats SORM-3 deep packet inspection. Traffic patterns randomized. Packet sizes padded. Connection timing jittered. To SORM, it looks like normal HTTPS browsing. Fast enough for video calls. Invisible enough for safety.
Domain Fronting
Traffic routed through Russian CDNs and cloud services — Yandex Cloud, Mail.ru infrastructure. SORM sees connections to domestic cloud services. Blocking these would break Russian businesses and government services. Your communication hides in traffic that cannot be blocked.
Mesh Networking
During regional shutdowns, when mobile internet is cut entirely, Trellis creates device-to-device networks. BLE and WiFi Aware connect nearby phones. Messages hop through the mesh. No towers. No ISPs. No SORM. Communication that works when Russia pulls the plug.
Cover Traffic Generator
Generates realistic background traffic that masks your real communication patterns. SORM analyzes traffic volume and timing to identify suspicious behavior. Cover traffic makes your usage look identical to normal browsing. Timing attacks defeated. Pattern analysis useless.
Stealth Mode
App disguises as a calculator, weather app, or notes application. Fully functional decoy. Secret gesture reveals Trellis. If authorities check your phone, they see an ordinary app. Running processes show innocent names. No digital trace of censorship bypass.
Duress PIN & Anti-Forensics
Duress PIN opens a convincing fake interface. Real data destroyed in under 3 seconds. Defeats Cellebrite extraction tools used by Russian law enforcement. RAM-only operation. Hardware keystore encryption. Even if your device is seized, your contacts and messages are unrecoverable.
Free for All Russian Users
Geofencing auto-detects users inside Russia and grants full premium features at no cost. No payment. No account. No trace of purchase. Mesh-earned credits for optional features. Every Russian deserves access to uncensored information.
How Trellis Reaches Russia
With VPN apps removed from Russian app stores and Roskomnadzor blocking download sites, Trellis uses distribution methods designed for hostile environments.
APK Sideloading
Direct APK distribution through encrypted messaging channels. Optimized file size for sharing via Telegram (while it works), AirDrop, Bluetooth, and local file transfer. Russian Android phones natively support sideloading.
Mesh App Distribution
One Trellis device can share the APK to every nearby phone via mesh. No internet needed. No app store. The app spreads through physical proximity — in apartment buildings, metro stations, university campuses. Each install strengthens the network.
Diaspora Relay Network
Russian communities abroad run Trellis relay nodes on residential connections. These bridge traffic from inside Russia to the global internet through IP addresses that look like normal household connections. Too many to block individually.
CDN-Based Distribution
Download servers hosted behind CDNs used by Russian businesses and government services. Blocking the download means blocking legitimate commerce. Updates delivered through the same infrastructure. Always accessible.
Pre-Positioned Exit Nodes
VPN exit nodes in Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Georgia, and Kazakhstan. Deployed and tested before the next shutdown. Multiple protocols ready. Automatic failover between nodes. When SORM blocks one path, traffic routes through another instantly.
Invisible to SORM. Unstoppable by Roskomnadzor.
When SORM Is Watching
obfs4 makes traffic look like random noise. Meek disguises it as cloud service requests. WireGuard stealth wrapper defeats DPI. Cover traffic masks real communication patterns. SORM sees normal browsing. Nothing to flag. Nothing to investigate.
When Roskomnadzor Blocks
Domain fronting through Yandex and domestic CDNs. Automatic protocol rotation. Server addresses that change faster than the blacklist updates. Bridge distribution through trusted contacts, not public directories. Every block is routed around in minutes.
During Regional Shutdowns
BLE mesh networking creates local communication grids. WiFi Aware extends range to 100 meters. Messages propagate across entire neighborhoods without touching any infrastructure. The mesh works when Moscow pulls the plug on a region.
When Your Device Is Seized
Duress PIN destroys all real data in under 3 seconds. Stealth mode shows a calculator. Anti-forensic protection defeats extraction tools. RAM-only operation leaves no recoverable trace. Full plausible deniability under any level of device inspection.
Free Speech Is Not a Western Value
Over 100 million Russians live under the most advanced surveillance system in Europe. SORM watches every message. Roskomnadzor blocks every dissenting voice. The Sovereign Internet Law gives the state a button to disconnect the entire country from the world.— Trellis Project · Built for Those Who Need It Most
Independent journalists are jailed. Anti-war protesters are arrested for holding blank signs. VPN usage is tracked and punished. The digital space that should connect people to truth is weaponized against them.
Trellis exists because surveillance should not be the price of being online. obfs4, Meek, WireGuard stealth, mesh networking — these are not luxuries. They are necessities. When SORM watches, Trellis is invisible. When Roskomnadzor blocks, Trellis routes around. When the internet is cut, the mesh keeps going.
84 patents pending. Free for every Russian. Because information is a human right.
Break Through the Surveillance
Download the APK. Share it via mesh. Every new device is a relay that SORM cannot see and Roskomnadzor cannot block.
Russian language fully supported · Free for all Russian users · 84 patents pending