Blog
Upper Lars, Kazakhstan and Mongolia by Car: Marko’s ChronicleMarko spent two months on the road this summer and autumn, and Russia came three times. He drove across Georgia and into Russia at Upper Lars on 19 August, crossed into Kazakhstan two days later, came back into Russia in September and drove on to the Mongolian border at Tashanta. In October he returned by […]
Can Russian Border Guards Search Your Phone? What the Law Says and Who They TargetIf you’re planning a trip to Russia, you’ve probably heard the rumour that border guards can examine your phone when crossing the border. It’s true: since July 2025 Russian law expressly allows it, and refusing can result in a fine or administrative arrest. But in practice, checks are selective : most tourists with a valid […]
The Russian Border Interview: Who Gets It, What They Ask and How Long It Takes (90+ Reader Accounts)No, the Russian border interview isn’t something everyone gets, and it isn’t pure luck either. A lot depends on who you are: the odds go up sharply if you’re British, American or Canadian, if you have any link to Ukraine or a Russian partner, if you travel to Russia very often, or if you’re the […]
Does Telegram Work in Russia? What Happened to Travelers in 2026Short answer: no, not without help. Telegram has been officially restricted in Russia since February 2026 and almost completely blocked since April. Since July 2026 a foreign eSIM or roaming no longer gets you around the block either. To use it there you need a VPN or a proxy, set up and tested before you […]
Happ VPN in Russia: What It Is, How It Works and How to Use It Without Getting ScammedHapp isn’t a VPN: it’s a free app where you paste a “key” that someone else, a person or a company, gives you. It’s hugely popular in Russia because those keys use protocols like VLESS, which disguise themselves as normal web traffic and usually get past the blocks. But the app on its own doesn’t […]
Your Own VPN with Amnezia Hosting: Step-by-Step Tutorial for RussiaTo run your own VPN with Amnezia you need two things: a rented server, from about $5 a month, and the free AmneziaVPN app . You don’t need to be good with computers: the provider emails you three details (IP address, username and password), you paste them into the app and it sets everything up […]
How to Pay in Russia in 2026: What Works and What Doesn’tForeign Visa and Mastercard cards don't work in Russia. These are the real options for paying today: cash, the Pay in Russia virtual card topped up with your own card, a YooMoney MIR card posted to your home, a T-Bank card in Russia, and why UnionPay no longer works for most travellers.
Pay in Russia: The Virtual Russian Card Accepts Visa and Mastercard AgainPay in Russia accepts Visa and Mastercard top-ups again. I explain how much topping it up costs, how to open it from home and how to pay in Russia with it.
Internet in Russia in 2026: What Works, What Doesn’t and How to PrepareYes, Russia has internet and it’s fast in the cities, but in 2026 you have to plan around three obstacles: many foreign apps are blocked (WhatsApp, Telegram, Instagram, YouTube…), mobile internet is often cut in many regions, leaving only approved Russian services, and foreign SIM cards get a 24-hour block on arrival. There’s a fix […]
What Apps to Use in Russia (When Google, Uber or Booking Don’t Work)To travel to Russia in 2026 you need, at the very least, Yandex Maps to find your way, Yandex Go for taxis, a translator with Russian downloaded , a VPN that actually works and a messaging app that doesn’t depend on it, like IMO . Google Maps, Uber, Booking or your Visa and Mastercard cards […]
GPS and maps in Russia: why GPS fails and which apps to use (even offline)In Russia you can’t trust your phone’s GPS, especially in central Moscow: it can suddenly put you at Vnukovo airport or 20 kilometres from where you actually are. It isn’t your phone’s fault, it’s the protection measures against drones. The fix is to carry Yandex Maps or 2GIS with the maps downloaded before you leave, […]
How to Make Video Calls with Russia: Alternatives to WhatsApp and TelegramCurrent situation: WhatsApp has been blocked in Russia since 12 February 2026, Telegram has been working only intermittently since that same week, and FaceTime has been blocked since December 2025. Even so, plenty of people manage to reach Russia on WhatsApp some days and not others, without using any VPN at all. It isn’t luck […]
How to Remove Russia’s 24-Hour Internet Block with a Foreign eSIMIf you travel to Russia with a foreign eSIM like Yesim , you won’t have mobile internet or SMS during the first 24 hours. It’s the so-called “cooling-off period”, a measure Russia has applied since October 2025 to all foreign cards roaming in the country. The good news is you don’t have to wait a […]
VPN in Russia: What Worked for 192 Travelers in 2026 and How to Get Ready Before You FlyIf you’re traveling to Russia and want to keep using WhatsApp, Telegram, Instagram or YouTube, you’ll need a VPN, and it has to be installed and tested before you leave home : once you’re there, downloading one is a lottery. In October 2026 I asked readers who had just come back what had worked for […]
Does WhatsApp Work in Russia? What Happened to 192 Travelers in 2026Short answer: officially, no. WhatsApp has been blocked in Russia since 12 February 2026. In practice it works on and off for many travelers: text messages usually get through, but voice notes, photos and calls often fail. If you really need it, have a VPN installed and tested before you leave home. In October 2026 […]
Dual Citizenship and Travel to Russia: Which Passport to Use at Each CheckpointIf you have two passports, what you do at the Russian border comes down to one question: is one of them Russian? If it is, you enter and leave Russia with your Russian passport every time, even if the other one is American, and you use the other one for the rest of the trip. […]
2.5 Hours at Passport Control, then Kazan to Vladivostok: Michael’s Trans-Siberian ChronicleMichael lives in Sweden and in September 2026 he crossed Russia from west to east in about three weeks: he flew into Kazan via Istanbul with an electronic visa, travelled on through Yekaterinburg, Omsk, Novosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk and Irkutsk, mostly on overnight trains in third class, and left from Vladivostok on a flight to Beijing. He […]
Kaliningrad Border by Land from Poland or Lithuania: Open Crossings, Waiting Times and What’s ChangedRight now you can enter Kaliningrad overland from Poland through two crossings, Grzechotki–Mamonovo II and Bezledy–Bagrationovsk, always by car or bus, and from Lithuania through Kybartai–Chernyshevskoye (by car or on foot) and Panemunė–Sovetsk (on foot only). The Russian e-visa works for all of them. What has changed the most: since late September 2026 Lithuania has […]
How to Get from Kaliningrad to Moscow and St Petersburg as a ForeignerIf you’re a foreigner, the only practical way to get from Kaliningrad to Moscow or St Petersburg is to fly: about two and a half hours in the air, more than a hundred flights a week and tickets from around 50 euros. The Yantar train crosses Lithuania and Belarus and causes serious problems for foreigners, […]
The Curonian Spit and the Kaliningrad coast: Zelenogradsk, Svetlogorsk and YantarnyThe best of the Kaliningrad region is on the coast: the Curonian Spit, with dunes over 60 metres high and a forest of twisted pines, and three Baltic towns less than an hour and a half from the regional capital, Zelenogradsk, Svetlogorsk and Yantarny, the amber capital. You can do all of it as day […]