Table of Contents
Since the Russian government has been cracking down on VPNs, it’s not easy to find one that works. Even if you find one that lets you install it and connect, it might not be strong enough to get past Russia’s internet firewalls. We tested more than 60 VPNs with our team to find the Best Russia VPNs. These VPNs let you access international platforms and social media sites while keeping your data private.
Russia is a fascinating country that is known for its cold winters and love of vodka. But after Russia’s recent invasion of Ukraine and the sanctions that followed, the government is cracking down harder than ever on free speech and access to information. This article tells you about the best VPN for Russia so you can stay safe and anonymous online and still use services and websites that are blocked in Russia.
Best VPNs for Russia
CyberGhost
CyberGhost VPN has servers in Russia, as well as servers in more than 90 other countries. This gives anyone who wants to fake their location a lot of options. It costs a lot more than most of the VPNs we’ve looked at, though.
There are 62 servers that look like they are in Moscow on CyberGhost VPN. But these are actually outside of the country, which could keep the government from messing with them. CyberGhost VPN has the most servers in Russia out of the services we looked at.
Features
Pros
- Large, well-distributed server fleet
- Allows up to seven simultaneous connections
- Several add-ons, including antivirus
Cons
- Expensive
- Confusing privacy policies
Proton VPN
Proton VPN is a great choice for anyone in Russia because it protects your privacy and is easy to use. In fact, its new Stealth feature for hiding information was made in part for Russian users. The service is also cheap, and you can sign up for it for free and use as much data as you want.
But keep in mind that free users can’t connect to Russian servers, which isn’t a problem if you want to get around censorship. All of the 16 servers that Proton VPN has in Russia are in Saint Petersburg. The company offers more secure connections to Russia with more than one stop.
Features
Pros
- Good pricing, including the best free subscription
- Numerous advanced privacy tools
- Strong customer privacy stance
Cons
- Awkward ChromeOS implementation
Ivacy VPN
Ivacy VPN lets you connect up to ten devices at once, which makes it great for families or anyone with a lot of devices. The cost of an annual subscription is also one of the lowest we’ve seen. This is a best VPN for Russia you can use it.
Still, during our hands-on testing, we found some problems that might make customers unhappy. Ivacy VPN has a good selection of server locations, including VPN servers in Moscow. We should point out, though, that Ivacy VPN has not yet made a third-party review of its service public.
Features
Pros
- 10 simultaneous connections
- Diverse server locations
Cons
- Outdated interface
- No multi-hop connections
NordVPN
NordVPN has one of the biggest networks of servers, which makes it a great VPN for people in Russia. You can easily change your virtual location and use global media platforms with 5500 servers in 60 countries. Aside from that, this VPN uses AES-256 encryption, which is known as the gold standard because it keeps your sensitive information safe from third parties.
The VPN also works with RAM-only servers that are wiped clean every time the server starts up. There are several tunnelling protocols to choose from, such as OpenVPN (TCP/UDP), IKEv2/IPsec, and Nordlynx. The second option is best if you want the fastest speeds and a stable connection.
Features
Pros
- Wide server and country selection
- Top-notch performance and speed
- Specialized servers
Cons
- No free version except for Android
Surfshark
Surfshark is another great VPN for Russia. It works with Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS devices and doesn’t limit the number of connections you can have at once. So, you can change your Russian IP address on as many devices as you need, no matter where you are.
One of the most important things to say about this VPN is that it has a feature called “NoBorders” and a mode called “Camouflage.” Simply put, it lets you use a VPN in countries where it’s hard to do so and keeps the government from finding out that you’re changing your IP address.
Features
Pros
- Huge server fleet
- Unlimited simultaneous connections
- NoBorders and Camouflage mode
Cons
- No free version except for Android
PrivateVPN
PrivateVPN is a good VPN for Russia because it connects quickly and has good security features. You can use it on 10 different devices at the same time, including Windows, macOS, and Linux computers and Android and iOS smartphones.
This provider lets you choose between 128-bit and 256-bit AES encryption and supports the OpenVPN TCP and UDP tunnelling protocols. So, you can set up your own network and get fast speeds and strong security. PrivateVPN also has a feature called Stealth VPN that hides your online activity from your ISP and the government.
Features
Pros
- Good speeds
- Traffic obfuscation
- Kill switch
Cons
- Relatively small server fleet
ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN is the best Russian VPN because it has great service all around and the best security in its class. It wraps your traffic in an encrypted tunnel using AES 256-bit encryption, secure VPN protocols, and HMAC authentication, which is a message authentication code that stops data from being changed while it’s in transit.
This way, no one, not even the Russian government, your ISP, or hackers, can see or record what you do online. Even better, ExpressVPN has more than 3,000 servers in 94 countries, so you can use them to get around the restrictions on the internet in Russia.
Features
Pros
- Excellent security
- Blazing fast
- Access to major streaming services
Cons
- Pricey
- No servers in Russia to access Russian content
VyprVPN
VyprVPN is our last choice. It isn’t as good as our other choices, but it has great security, which is our top priority. It has standard security features to keep you safe online, like a kill switch and leak protection. The NAT firewall that comes with VyprVPN adds an extra layer of security by blocking traffic from hackers, snoopers, and botnets that hasn’t been asked for.
Compared to its competitors, VyprVPN’s server network is small. It has less than 1,000 servers that are spread out over more than 60 countries. It has servers in Moscow, so if you need to get to Russian-only content, this is another good option after Surfshark. You can use torrents on its servers, and you can get to most streaming sites.
Features
Pros
- Chameleon protocol
- Many features
Cons
- Slow
- Small server network
FAQs
What VPN works with Russia?
Even though ExpressVPN and NordVPN don’t have any servers in Russia, they are still the best VPNs for that country.
Which free VPN has Russia?
Windscribe Free is the only free VPN that works in Russia, and you can try it out before signing up for a paid plan.
Is NordVPN available in Russia?
No, there are no servers for NordVPN in Russia. Because of this, you can’t use NordVPN to access any Russian websites that are blocked in your country. But if you live in Russia, you can get to sites that are blocked in other countries.
Is ExpressVPN blocked in Russia?
Even though ExpressVPN has more than 3000 servers in 94 countries, there are none in Russia. But, like many other top VPNs, ExpressVPN shut down its servers in Russia to protect users’ privacy. So, they don’t have to do what Roskomnadzor wants and keep track of user information.