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As of autumn 2026, TikTok is formally closed in Uzbekistan (since July 2021), TikTok is also closed in Kyrgyzstan (since April 2024), Tajikistan blocks sites critical of the authorities, and in Turkmenistan most of the internet is unavailable, including YouTube, Instagram and WhatsApp. The highest legal risk is in Turkmenistan: VPN users there are interrogated and fined.
Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan close individual platforms, Tajikistan closes sites and shuts down the internet in regions, Turkmenistan filters almost everything. Data from media and human rights publications up to August 2026. Neighboring Kazakhstan is covered separately in VPN in Kazakhstan.
| Uzbekistan | Kyrgyzstan | Tajikistan | Turkmenistan | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TikTok | Formally restricted since July 2021 | Restricted since April 2024 | No official block found | Unavailable without a VPN |
| Roblox | No reports of a block found; the company is registered for tax | No reports of a block found; Bishkek police warn parents | No media confirmation of a block | Online games are blocked |
| Social networks and messengers | Twitter, VK and WeChat unblocked in August 2022 | No other major blocks found | There have been outages with Facebook and Instagram | YouTube, Instagram, WhatsApp closed; Facebook and X too, according to Wikipedia and human rights groups |
| Media sites | Targeted blocks | Kloop declared "extremist" | Sites critical of the authorities are blocked | Independent and foreign ones are blocked |
| VPN | Ministry of ICT (2018): not punishable | No ban for private individuals found | No specific ban found | Users are punished |
| Legal risk | Low for the VPN itself | Low for the VPN itself | High: fines even for likes | High |
Formally, no: the restriction has been in place since July 2021 and, according to Kursiv Media on August 1, 2026, hasn't been lifted. At the same time, in the first half of 2026 TikTok paid 1.67 billion soums in taxes in Uzbekistan, hence the confusion.
On July 2, 2021, Uzkomnazorat restricted Twitter, TikTok and VKontakte for not storing citizens' data on servers inside the country (RIA Novosti, 02.07.2021). From August 1, 2022, Twitter, VKontakte and WeChat were unblocked, but negotiations on TikTok were never completed (Gazeta.uz, 01.08.2022).
Kursiv Media explains: foreign digital services pay taxes by law, but that doesn't give them permission to operate. We found no reports of Roblox being blocked in Uzbekistan, and according to Podrobno.uz on February 10, 2026, the company officially registered for tax there.
About VPNs. In 2018 the Ministry for the Development of IT and Communications clarified that the articles of the Criminal Code and the Code of Administrative Offenses on illegal access to networks do not apply to personal use of VPNs and proxies (Kun.uz, 05.07.2021).
Access to TikTok was closed on April 18, 2024. Providers received a letter from the Communications Regulatory Service after a request from the State Committee for National Security (GKNB) about content harmful to children (24.kg, 18.04.2024). As of October 2026 the block is in effect.
On June 4, 2026, GKNB deputy head Alisher Erbaev named the condition for unblocking in parliament: after amendments to the Digital Code, the authorities will purchase equipment to filter "improper content", and then TikTok will be opened (Zakon.kz citing Sputnik Kyrgyzstan, 04.06.2026). No timeline was given.
Two more facts:
For years Tajikistan has blocked sites critical of the authorities and, during unrest, shut down communications entirely. After protests at the end of 2021, the internet in Khorog didn't work for almost four months (The Times of Central Asia, 12.08.2026).
In January 2021, Facebook and Instagram stopped opening for users, while the Communications Service denied any block (Azattyk, 12.01.2021). People often search for a Roblox block in Tajikistan, but we found no confirmation in the media.
The main risk in Tajikistan has to do not with technology but with content. From 2018 to 2025, a like or repost of an "extremist" post carried 10 to 15 years. On May 14, 2025, Emomali Rahmon signed a law that removed criminal liability for likes and reposts. At that point, according to the first deputy prosecutor general, more than 1,500 people were serving sentences for comments and reactions on social networks (Azattyk, 15.05.2025).
Administrative fines remained. In September 2025, a resident of Murghab was fined $500 for a like under a post by the unregistered outlet Pamir Inside (Azattyk, 22.09.2025). A VPN doesn't protect against this, so we won't advise bypassing blocks in Tajikistan.
In Turkmenistan most of the internet is blocked, and ordinary people are punished for using a VPN. It's the only one of the four countries where the risk concerns the very act of bypassing blocks.
The largest study of local censorship found more than 122,000 blocked domains (The Times of Central Asia, 12.08.2026). Without a VPN, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and foreign news sites are unavailable (Azattyk, 06.09.2025). Facebook and X are also closed, according to Wikipedia and human rights groups. According to Human Rights Watch (2026 report), third-party VPNs and online games are also blocked, and in February 2025 WhatsApp opened for only five days.
What is known about punishments:
Any VPN in Turkmenistan, including ours, can become grounds for proceedings. We do not give instructions on bypassing blocks for Turkmenistan.
Blocks apply based on where the phone is, not on citizenship. A migrant from Kyrgyzstan in Russia lives under Russian restrictions, and his family back home under Kyrgyz ones.
BessyConnect runs on the VLESS protocol with Reality camouflage: to filtering systems, the traffic looks like ordinary HTTPS. How this works we explained in what is DPI. There are more than 100 servers, no logs, no required registration, no device limit, and there's a trial period.
The app isn't in the Russian App Store: to install it on iPhone in Russia, you need an Apple ID from another country.
Separately about Turkmenistan. There, VPN use carries a real legal risk: fines, interrogations and arrests. We do not recommend breaking local laws and do not advise using BessyConnect or any other VPN on the territory of Turkmenistan. Tajikistan also calls for caution: people are fined there for likes under critical posts, and a VPN doesn't remove this risk.
What a VPN doesn't solve: it won't help during a complete internet shutdown, as in Khorog, won't change your app store region, won't restore card payments and doesn't remove liability for materials banned in the country you're in.
Is TikTok banned in Uzbekistan? Yes, TikTok has formally been restricted since July 2021 for violating the personal data law. According to Kursiv Media as of August 1, 2026, the restriction hasn't been lifted, although the company pays taxes.
Does TikTok work in Kyrgyzstan? No, access has been closed since April 18, 2024 at the request of the GKNB. In June 2026 the GKNB said TikTok would be opened after amendments to the Digital Code and the purchase of filtering equipment.
Is Roblox blocked in Tajikistan? We found no media confirmation of an official block. A loading failure by itself doesn't mean a block.
Which VPN works in Turkmenistan? We do not advise using a VPN in Turkmenistan. People are fined and arrested for it there, and some of the VPNs on the market are distributed by the Ministry of National Security.
Do I need a VPN in Uzbekistan? The main formal block there is TikTok, while Twitter, VKontakte and WeChat were unblocked back in August 2022. In 2018 the ministry clarified that there is no liability for personal VPN use.
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