The Best VPNs for Russia

It’s not always possible to download and install a VPN once you’re in Russia, which is why I recommend downloading one (or even two) before you travel.

Fortunately, Astrill provides an alternative website to download and install the VPN software from inside Russia.

Before you travel, contact your chosen VPN’s customer support and ask for the latest mirror URL.

Once you’re in Russia, remember that normal OpenVPN and WireGuard traffic will be blocked, as well as standard TLS proxy connections.

Using a VPN in Russia isn’t itself illegal for individuals, but many services are now blocked as part of a larger attempt to maintain Russian state control over the internet.

Since September 1, 2025, deliberately searching for content on Russia’s official “extremist” list, including via a VPN, is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of 3,000 to 5,000 RUB (about $40 to $65).

The use of a VPN can also count as an aggravating factor if you’re prosecuted for another crime.

What’s more, promoting a VPN service is now considered an offense, too, carrying fines of up to 80,000 RUB (~$1,000) for individuals.

Providers face separate pressure: to operate legally a service must connect to Russia’s state registry and block every blacklisted site. Those that refuse can be fined up to 1 million RUB and, in practice, get blocked.

Over the past decade, the Russian government has made several attempts to increase its control over the domestic internet. Here are some of the most important events affecting the country’s online freedoms:

1. Blocking Websites and Social Media

Since 2022, Russia has dramatically escalated its internet restrictions, blocking thousands of websites and apps including YouTube, Facebook, X, Instagram, BBC News, and Quora.

In response, Russian citizens turned to VPNs in large numbers. Proton VPN alone recorded a 9,000% rise in Russian signups on 24 March 2022.

2. Blocking VPNs and Entire Protocols

In retaliation to rising VPN usage, the Russian government began restricting VPN services in late 2021. Since then, nearly 470 VPNs have been blocked or restricted for not complying with Russian law, including popular services like NordVPN and Proton VPN.

Russia’s approach has since escalated well beyond blocking individual VPN services by IP address. Roskomnadzor aims to block over 90% of VPNs by 2030 and since late 2025 OpenVPN, WireGuard, and standard TLS-based proxies are blocked at the ISP infrastructure level nationwide.

Roskomnadzor uses active probing to confirm suspected VPN servers. Once your connection is flagged by DPI, the system sends test traffic to your server, and if it responds like a VPN, the server is quickly blocked. This is why many users find a VPN works at first, then suddenly stops.

This means that even a VPN service not on Roskomnadzor’s blocklist will fail if it relies on standard protocols. Protocol choice is now the single most important factor in whether a VPN works in Russia.

This is why I recommend Astrill, whose StealthVPN protocol uses QUIC/UDP-based obfuscation designed to evade protocol-level detection, not just IP-address blocks.

3. The Yarovaya Law

Russia’s Yarovaya Law requires all telecom companies and ISPs to store detailed user communication records for six months, and all connection metadata for three years.

This gives the government on-demand access to records of everything you do online.

Promoting “extremism” online is punishable by up to five years in prison. The definition of “extremism” under this law is broad enough to include modest protests and criticism of government policy.

4. Russia’s Sovereign Internet

Russia has been taking steps toward creating a domestic alternative to the global internet. The Sovereign Internet law gives the state the legal authority to disconnect Russia from the worldwide web entirely in the event of an undefined “emergency.”

In January 2024, the state-endorsed Ruwiki (Russia’s own version of Wikipedia) was fully launched. It was created by copying every Wikipedia article, then removing or rewriting any content that contradicted the Kremlin’s positions.

Together, these measures reflect a long-term strategy to bring Russia’s internet under full state control: blocking foreign content, surveilling domestic communications, neutralizing circumvention tools, and building the infrastructure needed to operate independently of the global web entirely.