vpnandprivacy

🇷🇺 VPN in Russia

Best VPN for Russia in 2026

By The VPN and Privacy team Updated 6 Sept 2026 Facts re-checked 6 Sept 2026 Country status re-checked monthly
The law, the ISPs and local pricing in Russia, in detail

Legal status. Using a VPN is not itself illegal for individuals. Federal Law 276-FZ (2017) requires VPN providers to connect to Roskomnadzor's blocklist registry or be blocked; nearly all foreign providers refused and are blocked. From March 2024 it became an offence to advertise or 'popularise' VPNs, and from September 2025 administrative fines apply to searching for 'extremist' material even via VPN (Federal Law 41-FZ 2025), with fines of 3,000–5,000 roubles for individuals. Prosecutions for personal VPN use alone have not been reported; the risk is the connection failing and, since 2025, what you search for while on it. Source: Federal Law 276-FZ (2017); Federal Law 41-FZ (2025) amending the Administrative Code.

What ISPs do. Every Russian ISP and carrier routes through TSPU deep-packet-inspection equipment installed under the 2019 'sovereign internet' law and controlled centrally by Roskomnadzor. Since 2023 it has blocked WireGuard, OpenVPN and IKEv2 handshakes on many networks, with periodic nationwide tests of blocking everything. Shadowsocks, VLESS/Reality and providers' obfuscated transports still get through as of this check, but each protocol is targeted in turn. Mobile networks (MTS, Beeline, Megafon, Tele2) are stricter than fixed-line. Russia now leads all countries in App Store removal requests for VPN apps.

Commonly blocked: Facebook and Instagram (Meta designated extremist, 2022), X, YouTube (throttled to unusable since August 2024), Signal, Viber, Discord, FaceTime, WhatsApp calls (throttled 2025), most independent news (Meduza, BBC Russian, DW, Novaya Gazeta Europe), Proton Mail and most VPN provider websites, Tor Project and many bridges.

Paying locally. Visa and Mastercard issued by Russian banks have not worked for foreign payments since March 2022, and most provider websites are blocked. Options: crypto (Proton, Mullvad, NordVPN, ExpressVPN accept it), a foreign card or a friend abroad, or the App Store with a non-Russian Apple ID. Mullvad's cash-by-post works from anywhere. Providers that still have Russian-language support and crypto payment have an obvious advantage.

Our picks for Russia

1

Proton VPN

Swiss, non-profit-controlled, open source, with the only free tier worth using.

74
Owner
Proton Foundation
Jurisdiction
Switzerland · Outside the alliances
No-logs audit
None — apps audited by Securitum, 2025
Price
from $4.49/mo
Runs on iOS Android Mac Windows Linux Router Browser TV

Proton has treated Russian availability as a mission since 2022, adding Stealth, then a Russia-specific alternative-routing system that fetches server lists through disguised channels when the main ones are blocked. It is free, which matters when payment from Russia is nearly impossible, and Swiss non-profit ownership means no Russian order reaches it.

Roskomnadzor targets Proton specifically and it goes down for days at a time; keep a second option installed.

Censorship bypass
69
Privacy & trust
73
App quality
68
Features
98
  • Controlled by a Swiss non-profit foundation since 2024
  • All apps open source and independently audited
  • Free tier with no data cap and no ads
  • Renewal is higher than the intro price
  • Free tier cannot choose a country
  • Speeds trail NordVPN and ExpressVPN in most tests
Lab test pending — scored on public data iOS app score 68/100 from 101,311 ratings Full review Visit Proton VPN
2

NordVPN

The biggest network and the most features; renews at nearly triple the intro price.

70
Owner
Nord Security
Jurisdiction
Panama · Outside the alliances
No-logs audit
Deloitte, 2024 (report not public)
Price
from $3.39/mo · ~$7.53/mo over 3 yrs after renewal
Runs on iOS Android Mac Windows Linux Router Browser TV

Obfuscated servers on OpenVPN TCP 443 have kept working through most of Roskomnadzor's blocking rounds, and NordWhisper, its newer obfuscated protocol built for exactly this environment, has held up in user reports since 2025. Accepts crypto, which solves the payment problem.

Website is blocked; the app must be installed from a non-Russian App Store or by APK. Obfuscated servers must be enabled manually.

Censorship bypass
69
Privacy & trust
65
App quality
58
Features
91
  • Largest server network in the market
  • NordLynx (WireGuard) is consistently fast
  • Four Deloitte no-logs audits since 2018
  • Two-year plan renews at roughly 3× the intro price
  • Sibling brand Surfshark is presented as a competitor
  • No port forwarding
Lab test pending — scored on public data iOS app score 58/100 from 699,424 ratings Full review Visit NordVPN
3

Mullvad

Flat €5 a month, no email required, accepts cash; the privacy benchmark.

65
Owner
Amagicom AB
Jurisdiction
Sweden · Fourteen Eyes
No-logs audit
None — apps audited by Cure53, 2024
Price
from $5.40/mo
Runs on iOS Android Mac Windows Linux Router Browser TV

Its Shadowsocks bridges and the option to bring your own obfuscation via WireGuard-over-Shadowsocks have been among the most resilient, and Mullvad accepts cash by post and Monero, which makes it purchasable from Russia without a foreign card. The no-email account model also means nothing to seize.

Bridges need manual setup; the app is blocked from the Russian App Store.

Censorship bypass
63
Privacy & trust
65
App quality
63
Features
76
  • Account is a random number, no email or name
  • Same price forever, no intro-vs-renewal games
  • Accepts cash by post and Monero
  • Streaming unblocking is unreliable by design
  • Port forwarding removed in 2023
  • Smaller server network
Lab test pending — scored on public data iOS app score 63/100 from 1,441 ratings Full review Visit Mullvad
4

ExpressVPN

Polished apps and reliable unblocking; owned by Kape, which also owns three review sites.

72
Owner
Kape Technologiesalso owns review sites
Jurisdiction
British Virgin Islands · Outside the alliances
No-logs audit
KPMG, 2023 (report not public)
Price
from $4.99/mo · ~$7.08/mo over 3 yrs after renewal
Runs on iOS Android Mac Windows Linux Router Browser TV

Lightway's obfuscation has kept connecting during rounds that took down plainer protocols, and ExpressVPN maintains mirror download links delivered by email support for exactly this situation. Crypto accepted.

Kape ownership; the most expensive option, and price matters more when paying in crypto.

Censorship bypass
82
Privacy & trust
45
App quality
78
Features
76
  • Lightway protocol is fast and reconnects quickly
  • Most consistent record in China and the UAE
  • TrustedServer RAM-only infrastructure, audited repeatedly
  • Most expensive of the major providers
  • Owner Kape also owns vpnMentor, WizCase and SafetyDetectives
  • Only 8 simultaneous connections
Lab test pending — scored on public data iOS app score 78/100 from 418,418 ratings Full review Visit ExpressVPN

Which VPNs work in Russia

Status comes from user reports and provider statements until we have run our own probes from inside the country; the basis is shown for each. Where a provider says it does not work, we believe it.

ProviderStatus in RussiaBasisObfuscationNote
Proton VPN Unreliable User reports ✓ Actively targeted by Roskomnadzor; works intermittently.
ExpressVPN Unreliable User reports ✓
hide.me Unreliable User reports ✓
NordVPN Unreliable User reports ✓
Surfshark Unreliable User reports ✓
AdGuard VPN Unreliable User reports ✓
Mullvad Unreliable User reports ✓
IVPN Unreliable User reports ✓
Windscribe Unreliable User reports ✓
AirVPN Unreliable User reports ✓
Private Internet Access Blocked User reports ✓
Astrill VPN Unreliable User reports ✓
TunnelBear Blocked User reports ✓
IPVanish Blocked User reports ✓
CyberGhost Blocked User reports ✗
Norton VPN Blocked User reports ✓
PrivadoVPN Blocked User reports ✗
StrongVPN Blocked User reports ✗
Hotspot Shield Blocked User reports ✗
Bitdefender VPN Blocked User reports ✗
F-Secure VPN Blocked User reports ✗
MEGA VPN Blocked User reports ✗
FastestVPN Blocked User reports ✗

Do not rely on these in Russia

CyberGhost

No obfuscation; blocked outright since 2023. The provider does not claim to work in Russia.

IPVanish

No obfuscated transport, US-owned, and no crypto payment. Not a censorship-environment provider.

Norton VPN

No obfuscation, no crypto, no Russian availability. Not built for this.

The most actively hostile environment on this site

China’s firewall is bigger, but Russia’s blocking has changed fastest. Since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Roskomnadzor has blocked Meta’s platforms, X, most independent news, and then, starting in 2023, the VPN protocols themselves. The TSPU deep-packet-inspection boxes installed on every ISP under the 2019 “sovereign internet” law are centrally controlled and have been used for rounds of protocol blocking — WireGuard first, then OpenVPN and IKEv2 — plus periodic nationwide tests in which almost everything foreign is cut for hours. In 2024 YouTube was throttled to unusability without ever being formally blocked; in 2025 WhatsApp calls followed.

The consequence for VPN users is that “works in Russia” has a date attached. What is on this page was true at the re-check date at the top, and the providers that work do so because they have engineering teams treating Russia as a specific problem: Proton’s alternative routing, NordVPN’s NordWhisper, ExpressVPN’s Lightway obfuscation, Mullvad’s bridges. Providers without that effort stopped working in 2023 and have not come back.

The law as it stands

The 2017 law required VPN providers to filter Roskomnadzor’s blocklist; foreign providers refused and were blocked. Individuals were never the target. Two more recent changes are: since March 2024 it is an offence to advertise or “popularise” VPNs, which is why Russian tech media stopped naming them; and since September 2025 it is an administrative offence to deliberately search for material on the “extremist” list, which includes Meta’s platforms and much independent media, with a fine of a few thousand roubles — and the law explicitly covers searches made through a VPN. Enforcement of that against ordinary users has, so far, not been reported at scale. The realistic risks remain the connection failing and the payment problem.

Getting the app, and paying for it

Both are harder than in any other country here. Provider websites are blocked; Apple has removed most VPN apps from the Russian App Store at Roskomnadzor’s request; Google has been more resistant but the APK route is more reliable. A non-Russian Apple ID, an APK from a mirror, or an installer from someone abroad are the options — and installing before the need arises is the only fully reliable one.

Payment: Russian-issued cards stopped working abroad in March 2022. Crypto is the usual answer and every provider on this page accepts it. Mullvad additionally accepts cash in an envelope. Proton’s free tier needs nothing.

Which mode to use

Servers in Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Kazakhstan give the lowest latency. During a blocking round, change protocol before changing server.

What we have not tested

Every status here is from user reports and providers’ own statements, weighted toward the most recent. Running a probe from inside Russia raises questions we are still working through; until then, the date at the top is when the reports were last checked, and the picks are the providers whose engineering response to Roskomnadzor is public and ongoing.

Picks compared

FeatureProton VPNNordVPNMullvadExpressVPN
Ultimate ownerProton FoundationNord SecurityAmagicom ABKape Technologies
JurisdictionSwitzerland (Outside the alliances)Panama (Outside the alliances)Sweden (Fourteen Eyes)British Virgin Islands (Outside the alliances)
No-logs auditNone — apps audited by Securitum, 2025Deloitte, 2024 (report not public)None — apps audited by Cure53, 2024KPMG, 2023 (report not public)
Cheapest monthly$4.49$3.39$5.40$4.99
True cost / mo, 3 yrs$5.24$7.53$5.40$7.08
Money-back30 days30 days30 days30 days
PlatformsiOS, Android, Mac, Windows, Linux, Router, Browser, TViOS, Android, Mac, Windows, Linux, Router, Browser, TViOS, Android, Mac, Windows, Linux, Router, Browser · not TViOS, Android, Mac, Windows, Linux, Router, Browser, TV
Devices101058
Countries11712649105
WireGuard✓✓✓✓
Kill switch✓✓✓✓
Obfuscation✓✓✓✓
RAM-only servers?✓✓✓
Open-source apps✓✗✓✗
Split tunnelling✓✓✓✓
Multi-hop✓✓✓✗
Port forwarding✓✗✗✗
Ad blocker✓✓✓✓
P2P allowed✓✓✓✓
Free tier✓✗✗✗
NetflixWorksWorksUnreliableWorks
BBC iPlayerWorksWorksUnreliableWorks
Works in ChinaUnreliableUnreliableUnreliableWorks
Works in UAEWorksWorksUnreliableWorks
Cash / cryptocash, cryptocryptocash, cryptocrypto
Live chat✓✓✗✓
iOS app score68/100 (4.6★)58/100 (4.7★)63/100 (4.1★)78/100 (4.7★)
Our lab testPendingPendingPendingPending

Frequently asked questions

Is it illegal to use a VPN in Russia?

Personal use is not an offence. The 2017 law targets providers, requiring them to block what Roskomnadzor blocks; foreign providers refused and were blocked themselves. Since 2024 advertising VPNs is an offence, and since September 2025 deliberately searching for material on the 'extremist' list is fined even through a VPN. No individual has been publicly prosecuted merely for running a VPN app.

Why did my VPN stop working in Russia?

Roskomnadzor's TSPU equipment fingerprints VPN protocol handshakes and blocks them, and it does this in rounds — WireGuard in 2023, OpenVPN and IKEv2 widely by 2024, with nationwide tests of blocking everything. Switch to the provider's obfuscated mode (NordVPN obfuscated servers or NordWhisper, Proton Stealth, ExpressVPN automatic, Mullvad bridges). If the app cannot even fetch its server list, that is the provider's API being blocked; Proton's alternative routing and ExpressVPN's mirror links exist for this.

How do I pay for a VPN from Russia?

Russian-issued Visa and Mastercard do not work for foreign merchants. Crypto is the common answer: Proton, NordVPN, ExpressVPN and Mullvad all accept it, and Mullvad also takes cash by post. A foreign-region App Store account with a foreign card or gift card is the other route. Proton's free tier needs no payment at all.

Can I download a VPN in Russia?

The providers' websites are blocked and Apple has removed most VPN apps from the Russian App Store at Roskomnadzor's request — Russia now files more such requests than any country. Options: a non-Russian Apple ID, an APK from the provider's mirror on Android, or a friend abroad sending the installer. Install before you need it, and keep the installer.

Is YouTube blocked in Russia?

Not formally, but since August 2024 it has been throttled to near-unusability on fixed-line ISPs and most mobile networks, which the government attributes to Google's equipment and everyone else attributes to Roskomnadzor. A working VPN restores it. Meta's platforms, X, Signal, Discord and most independent news are formally blocked.

Which protocols still work in Russia?

As of this check: providers' obfuscated transports (NordWhisper, Lightway with obfuscation, Proton Stealth), Shadowsocks, and the VLESS/Reality protocols used by self-hosted proxies. Plain WireGuard, OpenVPN and IKEv2 are blocked on most networks. This changes monthly; the date at the top is when it was last confirmed.