Russian Airport Services in 2026: What’s There and What It Costs

Once you’ve cleared passport control and customs, you walk into the arrivals hall of a Russian airport and the next part begins: changing money, getting connected, contacting whoever’s picking you up, dropping off a suitcase if you can’t head to the hotel yet. Here I’ll walk you through what specific services you’ll find at the major Russian airports in 2026, how much each thing costs, where it actually is, and most importantly, what to do about two problems that have become routine for foreigners: that your Visa or Mastercard doesn’t work, and that your foreign SIM may go 24 hours with no internet or text messages once you land.

Currency exchange and ATMs

The first service most travelers go looking for is currency exchange, because nothing happens in Russia without rubles in your pocket. Visa and Mastercard cards issued outside Russia don’t work since 2022: not at ATMs, not on payment terminals, not on the Aeroexpress ticket machines. Only cash or a Russian MIR card will do.

Every Russian international airport has currency exchange points (обмен валюты) open 24 hours. The list of accepted currencies is usually wide: euro, US dollar, yuan, pound, Turkish lira, Emirati dirham, Armenian dram, Kazakh tenge, Indian rupee, Israeli shekel, Argentine peso, Brazilian real and around thirty more. The Pulkovo airport website publishes the full list, with nearly forty currencies accepted.

What matters is the economic reality: the airport exchange rate is the worst rate you’ll see on the whole trip. The gap with a city-center bureau or a MIR ATM can be anywhere from 3% to 8%, depending on the airport and the currency. The practical rule I’d recommend:

• Change just enough for your first day (taxi to the hotel + the odd small purchase). 5,000–10,000 RUB will get you through the first expenses.
• The rest, change in town: at any Sberbank, T-Bank, VTB, or Alfa-Bank branch, or at the dozens of exchange offices (обмен валюты) in tourist areas. The difference is real.
• If you have a MIR card with rubles, you can skip the exchange step entirely: there are MIR ATMs from Sberbank, VTB and Alfa-Bank at every airport, and the rate is the official Central Bank one.

A reasonable alternative is to bring rubles bought before you leave home. In Europe you can do this at offices like ExactChange — there’s a full breakdown in the guide on how to buy rubles before traveling.

ATMs are scattered throughout the airport’s public zone and the arrivals hall.

Free WiFi: how to connect and why it sometimes doesn’t work

Every Russian airport offers free WiFi in public areas, but access isn’t direct: Russian federal law (Government Decrees 758 and 801 of 2014) requires that every user connecting to a public WiFi network be identified. In practice, that means you have to authenticate by SMS before you can browse. The process is similar everywhere:

1. You pick the network from the list: at Pulkovo it’s OBIT — Free Internet Access, at Sheremetyevo and Domodedovo it shows up as Free WiFi or the terminal’s name, at Sochi it’s Airport_Free.
2. A screen opens asking for your mobile number. You type your number with the international country code (+1, +44, +49…). The system doesn’t always accept foreign numbers.
3. You receive a text message with a code, which you enter on the screen. Done.

Now the real problem. Since October 2025, Russian operators have been applying a 24-hour “cooling-off period” (период охлаждения) to any foreign SIM that connects to the Russian network: during the first day, roaming blocks both mobile internet and incoming SMS. The measure was introduced for security reasons and for several weeks affected every major Russian operator. T2 has rolled out a captcha mechanism that lets you regain connectivity faster; with MTS, Megafon and Beeline the unblocking is less consistent.

For you as a traveler, this translates into three practical consequences as soon as you land:

• The WiFi authentication SMS may not reach you, so the airport’s free WiFi is useless to you even if it’s available.
• Your data roaming doesn’t work for the first 24 hours, even if your home operator was offering an international plan for Russia.
• You can’t book a Yandex Taxi through the app because you have no internet.

The most convenient fix is to get an eSIM before you arrive. They’ll usually send you the activation link by email, which dodges the 24-hour SMS block. There’s a full breakdown in the guide on how to buy a Russian SIM card.

Luggage storage (камера хранения)

If you arrive early and your hotel doesn’t have the room ready yet, or if you have a long layover and want to head into town, every major Russian airport has luggage storage open 24 hours. It’s always in the public zone, usually on the ground floor or basement of the arrivals area. They’ll ask for your passport when you drop off.

Standard prices (2025–2026):

• Sheremetyevo (SVO): 500 RUB for the first 24 hours, then 250 RUB per day.
• Domodedovo (DME): 500 RUB per day for the first 24 hours; 1,500 RUB if the bag exceeds 150×150 cm or 300 cm on one side. Maximum 30 kg per piece. They also rent powerbanks at 200 RUB/day with a 2,000 RUB deposit.
• Pulkovo (LED): 600 RUB for the first 24 hours, then 300 RUB per day.
• Sochi (AER): 500 RUB for the first 24 hours, then 250 RUB per day. Sector C, ground floor.
• Kazan (KZN): 400 RUB for the first 24 hours, then 200 RUB per day.

Two things worth knowing: the “day” is counted up to midnight, not as a real 24-hour block from when you drop off (so if you leave the bag at 22:00 and pick it up at 02:00, you pay for two days). And most airports also have a cloakroom (гардероб) next to the storage, where you can leave heavy coats for 150–200 RUB per item per day.

Eating and duty-free shopping

Food options at Russian airports have grown a lot in recent years. At Sheremetyevo and Domodedovo you’ll find practically every Russian chain (Shokoladnitsa, Teremok, Kroshka-Kartoshka, Vkusno — i Tochka, the chain that took over the old McDonald’s locations), international restaurants and cafés. Pulkovo has a more curated lineup, with good Italian and Moldovan restaurants. Sochi stands out for its Caucasian-cuisine bars and cafés.

Airport prices are higher than in the city, as you’d expect, but not outrageously so: a coffee runs 200–350 RUB, a sandwich or panini 350–500 RUB, a meal at a regular restaurant 1,000–1,800 RUB per dish. One advantage over European airports is that there are still affordable options at Russian chains (a meal combo at Vkusno — i Tochka costs about 350–400 RUB).

The duty-free is designed for people leaving Russia, so it’s only accessible after you’ve cleared passport control and security in the international zone. The most interesting items to take home: Russian vodka brands you can’t get in Europe (Beluga, Russian Standard, Mamont), red caviar in sealed tins (the EU/US/UK ban on black caviar is covered in the customs guide), tea, and traditional sweets (зефир, пастила).

VIP lounges and Fast Track

If you want a quiet place to wait, Russian airports have two types of paid spaces:

• Business lounges (бизнес-зал): comfortable seating, food and drinks included, faster WiFi, newspapers, bathrooms, sometimes a shower. Usually 3,500–5,700 RUB per person per visit. Some are accessible with a Priority Pass card.
• VIP lounges (ВИП-зал): a different category, designed for official delegations or anyone who wants to handle the whole process (check-in, security, boarding) in private. Pricey: at Sheremetyevo, an adult pays from 40,000 RUB up. Not really for everyday tourist use.

The Fast Track service (priority security lane) exists at Pulkovo and Sochi, but not at Sheremetyevo, where the only way to skip the queues is the VIP lounge. At Pulkovo it costs around 2,500–3,500 RUB per person and only applies on departure (not at incoming passport control).

Tourist information, taxis and transfers

In the arrivals halls of the major airports there are information desks (информация / information desk). At Sheremetyevo and Vnukovo the staff speak English; at Domodedovo, Pulkovo and Sochi they do too, though sometimes less fluently. The interactive kiosks with airport maps and public-transport schedules are good for getting your bearings quickly.

Taxi counters are the tricky part. The universal rule in Russia: don’t accept a taxi from people who approach you offering a ride in the arrivals hall. They’ll charge you double or triple the normal price. The legitimate options are three:

• Yandex Go (the dominant taxi app in Russia): a Sheremetyevo to central Moscow ride costs between 1,200 and 2,500 RUB depending on time and traffic, versus the 3,500–5,000 RUB a hall taxi driver would ask for.
• Official taxi counters with fixed fares. At Sochi there are official Yandex Go and Gett partners with set rates to the city or Krasnaya Polyana. It’s a reasonable option if you can’t get data to open the app.
• Aeroexpress, the express train into the city, at Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo and Vnukovo (around 500 RUB one way, ~45 minutes). Per-airport details in the guides for Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo and Vnukovo.

If you’ve booked a private transfer with a driver (in Russia this is called встреча в аэропорту, “airport meet-and-greet”), the most convenient option is for the driver to wait for you with a sign at the customs exit, in the meeting-point area. I personally have used this system for years with good results, especially when I land late or with several pieces of luggage. You can book an airport transfer with a foreign card here.

Services airport by airport: what changes between them

The basic list of services (exchange, WiFi, storage, taxis, food) is at all of them, but each airport has its own quirks.

Sheremetyevo (SVO) — Moscow

Russia’s biggest airport, with five operating terminals (B, C, D, E, F). International arrivals are concentrated in C, D and E. You’ll find full Sberbank and T-Bank branches, currency exchange in every terminal, T2 SIM-card vending machines (24 hours), luggage storage at 500 RUB/day, several cafés and restaurants in the arrivals hall, and a tourist information desk in Terminal D. The lack of a Fast Track is the only odd note. There’s also a curious Sheremetyevo museum inside the airport itself, free to visit, dedicated to the history of Russian civil aviation.

Domodedovo (DME) — Moscow

The only large terminal with everything in a single building over three floors. Good currency exchange options (Sberbank, Transstroybank, Cifra Bank with nearly 45 currencies). Luggage storage in the arrivals basement at 500 RUB/day, powerbank rental (200 RUB/day with a 2,000 RUB deposit). The arrivals hall also has a Russian Post office (Почта России, 8:00–20:00), an Orthodox chapel, a synagogue, a mosque, a 24-hour clinic and a pharmacy. Free WiFi throughout the terminal. The basement floor (цокольный этаж) is where the storage and police point are.

Vnukovo (VKO) — Moscow

Smaller and better organized than the other two Moscow airports. Currency exchange, T2 SIM machine (installed later than at SVO/DME), storage and standard food options. Vnukovo is the airport most used by official delegations and charter flights, so the passport-control queue is usually faster than at Sheremetyevo.

Zhukovsky (ZIA) — Moscow

The smallest and most distant (40 km southeast), it mostly handles flights from Central Asia. The service offering is more limited: there’s exchange, a couple of cafés, a T2 SIM machine and storage, but no Aeroexpress and not many ATMs. Have your money changed before you arrive or in central Moscow if you have to come through here.

Pulkovo (LED) — Saint Petersburg

The only international airport in Saint Petersburg, with a single terminal across three floors that feels modern and well-organized. Currency exchange in sector B (Sberbank), an automated terminal in sector C, luggage storage on the ground floor at 600 RUB/day (the most expensive in Russia), Fast Track available. Free WiFi via the OBIT network with SMS authentication. It also has a capsule hotel (Aerosleep / Aeroservice Pulkovo, from 1,000 RUB per pod) inside the terminal, useful if you’re stuck waiting for an early-morning flight.

Sochi (AER) — Adler

Located in Adler, 30 km from central Sochi, right next to the border with Abkhazia. New, bright building with palm trees at the entrance (a hint that you’re in subtropical climate). Full services: exchange in sector C from Cifra Bank (lira, dollar, euro, yuan, dram, tenge, shekel), storage at 500 RUB/day, free WiFi Airport_Free. Important: per the airport’s own information, the WiFi only authenticates with Russian operator SIMs. If you have a foreign SIM it may not authenticate. Good transport options: the Lastochka train every 20–30 minutes to the city center (~120 RUB), buses, taxis. Transfer details in the Sochi airport guide.

Kazan (KZN), Yekaterinburg (SVX), Krasnodar (KRR), Khrabrovo (KGD) and other regional airports

Regional airports have a scaled-down version of the same services: exchange at Sberbank or the dominant regional bank (Ak Bars in Kazan, Cuban Credit in Krasnodar and Sochi), storage at 300–400 RUB/day, free WiFi via SMS, one or two 24-hour cafés. What usually isn’t there: tourist info in English and SIM-card vending machines. If you’re landing at one of these airports, have your connectivity and your cash sorted before you arrive.

Five practical tips for your first 30 minutes at the airport

1. Arrive with rubles in your pocket. Change 50–100 EUR/USD before you leave home, or have your exchange ready at the first counter in the airport. Enough for a taxi to the hotel and your first dinner.
2. Don’t change all your trip money at the airport. The gap with the city center is several percentage points, and on larger sums that’s hundreds of euros lost.
3. Sort out connectivity beforehand. If your phone takes eSIMs, get an eSIM before the trip.
4. Ignore the taxi drivers who approach you. Use Yandex Go (once you have data), an official taxi counter with a fixed rate, or the Aeroexpress.
5. If you have a long wait, drop the suitcase at storage and head out. For 500 RUB your bag is safe for 24 hours and you don’t have to drag it around the city.

Frequently asked questions about Russian airport services

Once exchange, connectivity and your transfer are sorted, the next step at the hotel is the foreigner registration, which you have to complete within the legal deadlines to avoid problems on the way out.