People use VPNs to get western news and information through other channels than state-controlled Russian media.
If Russia can block these other channels, then their own propaganda becomes the sole information citizens have access to.
Websites I need a VPN for most of the time are ones that just don't like users with Russian IPs, like my Western credit card company.
Having said this, almost all of my Russian colleagues already talk like Russian TV and all of them use VPN this way or another..
It seems there is always a segment of the population that takes up nationalism/populism. You don't need a majority to enable authoritarianism, just enough to ease them into power, maintain the facade of support and help chill dissent.