If you’re travelling to Russia and want to keep using WhatsApp, Telegram, Instagram or YouTube, my recommendation right now is Amnezia VPN. It’s the VPN Russians themselves use, it’s built to get around the Russian blocking system, and it’s the one that has held up best in 2026, while the best-known brands stopped working one after another.
On this page I’ll tell you what makes it different, what it costs, how to pay for it (including from inside Russia) and how to get it ready before you leave home, which is what really matters.
Amnezia Premium
- Anti-blocking camouflage: the AmneziaWG 3.1 and XRay VLESS Reality protocols make your connection look like ordinary browsing.
- “Greenland” location for the days when mobile data only lets Russian services through (it works from inside Russia).
- 39 countries, including the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, Germany and France, plus Russia for opening Russian sites from abroad.
- Up to 7 devices on one subscription.
- Split tunneling: your banking and Yandex apps work without going through the VPN.
- 14 days to ask for a refund if you’re not happy.
From $3.30 a month (two-year plan).
Get AmneziaWhy I recommend Amnezia and not another one
Russia doesn’t block what you send, it blocks what your connection looks like. The most heavily advertised VPNs use standard protocols that are easy to recognise, which is why they fall one after another. Amnezia was born inside the Russian-speaking world for exactly this problem: its AmneziaWG protocol changes the “fingerprint” of your connection every time you connect, and the alternative, VLESS Reality, disguises it as an ordinary visit to a website.
But what convinces me most is what readers tell me. Javier, a Spanish reader, spent five days in Saint Petersburg in September 2026 and puts it like this:
“I went with Proton and Windscribe, with the stealth protocol and everything properly set up. Well, neither of them worked. I downloaded Amnezia VPN, paid for premium (about €8 a month, no commitment) and that one worked perfectly.”
Javier, Saint Petersburg, September 2026
Its code is also open source and has passed independent security audits (7ASecurity, in 2022, 2024 and 2025). According to the company, it keeps no browsing history and its servers run in memory only, without writing anything to disk.
What you should know before you pay
⚠️ No VPN is foolproof in Russia, and neither is this one
- It had its bad patch. In June and July 2026 it was down for about six weeks because of a wave of blocking aimed specifically at it. It came back in mid-July with a new protocol and has been stable since August, even during the wave that took down other big VPNs. On 17 September its hosting provider had a failure that was fixed the same afternoon.
- If mobile internet is cut off completely, no VPN will help. The Greenland location helps when only approved Russian services get through, but in a total blackout there’s nothing to be done. Hotel wifi holds up much better.
- Check your home country is on the list. If you need an IP from home for your bank, look at the country list first. The UK, the US, Canada, Australia and most of Western Europe are covered; Italy isn’t yet, and Spain is being rolled out gradually.
- Take a second VPN from a different provider. It’s the advice travellers repeat most. I go through the ones that are working in VPN in Russia: what works and what doesn’t.
Amnezia Premium prices
| Plan | You pay | Works out at |
|---|---|---|
| 6 months | $30 | $5 a month |
| 1 year | $50 | $4.10 a month |
| 2 years | $80 | $3.30 a month |
If you’re only going for a few days, the mobile app also offers a monthly subscription: Javier paid about €8 for one month, with no commitment. All you need to sign up is an email address, and your access key arrives in your inbox straight away. If you’re not happy, you have 14 days to ask for your money back.
How to pay for Amnezia, even from inside Russia
Paying is where a lot of people get stuck with the big VPNs. Cards issued by Russian banks, whether Mir or Visa and Mastercard issued in Russia, haven’t worked for international payments since 2022, which is why so many people in Russia can’t pay for NordVPN, Proton or ExpressVPN. With Amnezia you have several ways round it:
- With your own card from home: Visa, Mastercard or JCB. It works even while you’re in Russia, because you’re paying a European company (Amnezia bills from Cyprus), not a Russian shop.
- With cryptocurrency: USDT, bitcoin, ether and others. The usual way out if you only have a Russian card, or if your bank blocks VPN payments.
- Through the mobile app: with your Apple or Google account, like any other subscription. That’s the monthly option Javier used.
- Local payment methods: depending on the country you connect from, the checkout may offer other options as well.
You don’t need to create an account or give any personal details: just an email address to receive the key.
How to get it ready in ten minutes, before you leave home
- Buy the subscription with your email. Your access key arrives within a minute.
- Download the Amnezia VPN app from the App Store, Google Play or their website, which has versions for Windows, macOS and Linux.
- Paste the key and connect. Try several countries and both protocols, AmneziaWG and VLESS: the switch is on the main screen. That way you’ll know what to tap once you’re there.
- Turn on split tunneling and leave your banking app, Yandex Go and Yandex Maps outside the VPN. Then you can keep it on all day without breaking anything.
- Keep the key somewhere other than your phone, in your email for example. If your phone breaks, you can install it on another one.
- Update the app just before you travel. Amnezia releases new versions every few weeks to get round new blocks, and old ones stop connecting. The current one is 5.0.3.
✅ Already in Russia and it won’t connect
Switch protocol first, then country. If you’re on mobile data and only Russian sites load, try the Greenland location. Their support team answers on Telegram around the clock.
Amnezia VPN: frequently asked questions
Does Amnezia VPN work in Russia in 2026?
Yes. After six weeks down in June and July 2026, it came back with a new protocol and has been stable since August, including during the wave of blocks that hit other big VPNs. It’s the one working for the readers who write to me when they get back, like Javier in Saint Petersburg in September.
How can I pay for a VPN from Russia?
Cards issued by Russian banks don’t work for international payments, so most Western VPNs can’t take them. With Amnezia you can pay with a foreign Visa, Mastercard or JCB card, which works even while you’re in Russia, with cryptocurrency such as USDT or bitcoin, or through the mobile app with your Apple or Google account.
What payment methods does Amnezia accept?
Visa, Mastercard and JCB cards, a wide range of cryptocurrencies including USDT, bitcoin and ether, and in-app payment through Apple or Google. Depending on the country you connect from, the checkout may offer local methods too. You only need an email address.
Can I download it once I’m already in Russia?
It has worked for some readers, but don’t count on it: many VPN websites are blocked inside Russia and you’d be doing it with no messaging apps and in a hurry. Install it and test it at home.
Is Amnezia free?
The app is free and there’s Amnezia Free, a no-cost service limited to a few popular websites. For a trip you need Amnezia Premium, the paid version, and you have 14 days to ask for a refund if you’re not happy.
Does Amnezia have servers in my country?
It has 39 locations, including the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, Germany, France and the Netherlands. Italy isn’t covered yet and Spain is being rolled out gradually. If you need an IP from home for your bank, check the list in the app before you travel.
Is it legal to use a VPN in Russia?
Yes. Using one as a private individual is not penalised: the law places obligations on the companies providing the service, not on the user, and the fines that exist are for advertising tools to get around the blocks.
What should I do if it stops working during my trip?
Switch between the AmneziaWG and VLESS protocols, try another country and, if only Russian sites load on mobile data, the Greenland location. Also check you have the latest version of the app. If nothing works, write to their support on Telegram, which answers around the clock.
Moving there for a while, or want to leave your family in Russia with a VPN for months? Then running your own server with the same Amnezia app may work out better: I explain how to set it up, step by step, in your own VPN with Amnezia.
If you want to understand how the blocks work, which other VPNs are working and what to do about your mobile connection, I explain it all in VPN in Russia: what works, what doesn’t and how to get ready before you fly.