Best VPNs For Russia
1) ExpressVPN
Best – One of the most secure VPN apps
ExpressVPN is one of the most reliable VPN in the industry. It is headquartered in the British Virgin Islands, which is one of the most privacy-friendly governments in the world with no laws regarding data retention. It isn’t a part of any alliances too. PwC has also independently audited ExpressVPN’s security and servers. ExpressVPN and all other VPN services on this list are no-logs VPNs. So, they don’t store your data or which websites you visited. That way, the Russian Government won’t be able to link your internet activity back to you. ExpressVPN’s servers are also secure, and they haven’t suffered a data breach since their inception. The VPN offers various protocols being IKEv2, Lightway – UDP, Lightway – TCP, OpenVPN UDP, and OpenVPN TCP. These protocols ensure that data can be transferred between your computer and the VPN server securely and quickly. As for performance, it’s quite average, and you won’t be faced with too heavy speed reductions. Here’s what ExpressVPN stores:
It stores app and app versions installed Selected VPN server Dates connected to the VPN Total data transferred (in MB)
Features:
Provides stable connection in Russia Network lock kill switch IP Address masking to change Russian IP to another country TrustedServer technology (data isn’t written to a server) so Russian authorities can’t identify your browsing Lightway protocol for a reliable connection Uses 256 Bit Security
Key Specs:
Privacy Policy: ExpressVPN’s privacy policy is quite straightforward, and it states that they collect some user data we mentioned above. Apart from that, they state that they know when you used ExpressVPN but not HOW you used it, which is essential for protecting your identity from Russia. They also don’t know your real or VPN IP address and the websites you visited. All logs are erased. So, even if Putin breaks into one of the servers, he’ll find nothing.
How to use ExpressVPN for Free:
Start your risk-free ExpressVPN trial right here. You can cancel your subscription at any time within 30 days thanks to ExpressVPN’s money-back guarantee.
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2) NordVPN
Best Great features, outstanding performance, and affordable price.
NordVPN is a popular VPN for Russia that offers everything you need to get past internet censorship. It is in Panama, which is away from US and EU jurisdiction, or the 14 Eyes Alliance. The data collection laws over there are strict too. NordVPN has been audited by PwC, where they tested a variety of things like:
The P2P infrastructure no-logs VPN Obfuscated VPN Standard VPN Deluxe VPN Central Infrastructure.
PwC was happy to conclude that NordVPN is very secure with little to no flaws. VerSprite also conducted a security test of the app with no issues found. The VPN offers the following protocols: Automatic, NordLynx, and OpenVPN (TCP and UDP). NordLynx is Nord’s custom-made protocol tailored for performance and reliability. This ensures that you get a perfect connection in Russia. The streaming services performance was also exceptional, with minimal lag and high quality. As for performance, NordVPN is the industry leader with little to no reduction in your internet speed. The data that NordVPN collects is as follows:
Payment information Your name and email for login Aggregated, anonymous usage data
Features:
Secure access to the internet VPN servers in all parts and countries of the world to overcome Censorship Obfuscated servers to hide your VPN traffic and connection from your Internet Service Providers Kill switch and split tunneling support Double IP change for extra security Onion over VPN for maximum anonymity
Key Specs:
Privacy Policy: The privacy policy doesn’t collect any data like IP addresses or websites visited. Their privacy policy stands tested and true. Although, NordVPN will comply with court orders and government requests.
How to use NordVPN for Free:
Start your risk-free NordVPN trial. You can cancel your subscription at any time. There are no costs. NordVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. It also offers flexible pricing plans, which makes it an easy to use and valuable privacy tool.
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3) AtlasVPN
Best Impressive features and outstanding performance at a very affordable price.
AtlasVPN is perfect for people on a tight budget. This VPN provider is located in the United States, which is one of the founding members of the 14 Eyes Alliance and the data collection laws over there aren’t privacy-friendly. AtlasVPN has been audited by VerSprite, a cybersecurity agency, and they found some mild security flaws which were fixed immediately. The company hasn’t faced any data breaches in the past. The protocols offered by AtlasVPN are WireGuard and IKEv2, which should suffice for most people. For streaming, the Virtual Private Network could unblock major platforms at high speeds and good quality. As for actual performance, AtlasVPN puts up some of the most impressive numbers after NordVPN. The data collected by the VPN is as follows:
Application usage stats Device information operating system, model, etc. Billing information and data
Features:
SafeSwap servers to access the internet from multiple IP addresses at the same time. Blocking ads and malware while using the VPN Multi Hop+ to access the internet after going through various security tunnels Network kill switch and split tunneling Seamless P2P sharing
Key Specs:
Privacy Policy: AtlasVPN adheres to a strict no-logs policy, so no one knows what you browse or your DNS queries. This is important so that Russian authorities don’t know what you did.
How to use Atlas VPN for Free:
Start your risk-free AtlasVPN trial. You can cancel your subscription at any time. There are no costs. Atlas VPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. This VPN service provides flexible pricing plans according to your needs.
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4) SurfsharkVPN
Best Awesome blend of security, performance, features, and price.
SurfsharkVPN is another highly popular Virtual Private Network that can be found advertising and sponsoring videos. The VPN is in the Netherlands, which is a member of the 14 Eyes Alliance and comes under EU jurisdiction. Surfshark has been audited by a Germany-based firm, Cure53. The audit covered server infrastructure and a broad security assessment. The result was approval from Cure53, stating that Surfshark’s server network relies on good defaults and that the company engineers are really dedicated to security. The VPN also remains clear when it comes to data breaches with no history of them. SurfsharkVPN offers quality protocols with the options being Automatic, WireGuard, IKEv2, OpenVPN UDP, and OpenVPN TCP. For streaming, Surfshark is the best VPN for Russia that we recommend as it could unblock all the major streaming sites from almost all countries. As for the performance, it was outstanding, with almost no buffering and HD streaming. The data collected by the VPN provider is as follows:
Customer email and password Payment information Anonymous performance statistics Frequency of use of the VPN Crash reports and unsuccessful connection attempts
Features:
CleanWeb for blocking ads, trackers, malware, and phishing attempts Private DNS and leak protection Camouflage to hide from your Internet Service Provider that you are using a VPN provider NoBorders mode for bypassing Censorship RAM Only servers that don’t store data so that Russia can’t seize and obtain data
Key Specs:
Privacy Policy: The company doesn’t keep any information about the user’s browsing history or IP address. The logging policy is strict, and the servers work as advertised. You can even ask to delete your data if you are a resident of California. Some third-party cookies are used for essential functionalities.
How to use Surfshark for Free:
Start your risk-free trial of Surfshark. You can cancel your subscription at any time. There are no hidden costs. Surfshark offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. It provides different plans for online privacy and protection.
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5) ProtonVPN
Best Maximum security and features
ProtonVPN is probably the Swiss Army Knife of VPN providers, and you cannot go wrong with this one. It’s based in Switzerland, which is one of the most privacy-friendly countries in the whole world. It’s not a part of any alliances, it doesn’t have strict data retention laws, and it’s a very neutral company. This VPN service has been audited by Mozilla (the Firefox one) and SEC consult, and they were pretty happy with the results. Proton has come out to be one of the most secure VPN providers in the inspections. The best part is that ProtonVPN is open-source, so you can inspect its code easily too! ProtonVPN is also in the clear when it comes to data breaches. The protocols offered by ProtonVPN are OpenVPN, WireGuard, and IKEv2, and all three are top-notch, fast, reliable, and secure protocols. For streaming, ProtonVPN is on par with NordVPN and SurfsharkVPN, and it could unblock almost all major platforms, including Netflix and Prime, with impressive quality. The performance in general while doing everyday tasks and web browsing was outstanding too. The data collected by ProtonVPN is as follows:
Email and password for account creation Payment details Aggregate, anonymous stats Crash reports
Features:
Secure Core for strong data security and IP masking AdBlocker for protection from malware trackers VPN accelerator for higher speeds Strong encryption with AES-256, key exchange is done with 4096-bit RSA, and HMAC with SHA384 is used for message authentication. kill switch is always on in this VPN Tor over VPN for onion website access P2P support with unlimited bandwidth
Key Specs:
Privacy Policy: ProtonVPN’s privacy policy highlights that it doesn’t log important information like browser history, IP addresses, and more. Some data as outlined above is collected, and every bit of the policy has been audited and scrutinized.
How to use ProtonVPN for Free:
It offers a completely Free VPN that has 147 servers in 3 countries. Just register and start using
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6) IPVanish
Best Very fast and secure
IPVanish is another very popular VPN that is a big advocate of privacy. The service is in the USA, which isn’t a privacy-friendly nation. IPVanish has been audited by Leviathan Security Group recently, and they verified the service’s award-winning no-logs policy. The group found that it lives up to all the promises it made. It hasn’t suffered any data breaches since its inception too. The protocols that you get with IPVanish are WireGuard®, OpenVPN, IKEv2, L2TP, and IPsec. For streaming, the performance is decent, and it could unblock a few shows on Netflix US and other countries. The performance in general tasks is impressive, to say the least. IPVanish collects the following data:
Email and Password and billing info Aggregated anonymous usage data
Features:
Shared IP addresses for spoofing your location Unmetered connections to protect every device SOCK5 Proxy for greater speeds while changing the IP address DNS leak protection so that Russian ISPs don’t know you’re using a VPN
Key Specs:
Privacy Policy: Their privacy policy states that they do not collect, monitor, or log your browsing activity. They collect some data that we outlined above, and they also state that you can request, review, and delete your data anytime you want.
How to use IPVanish for Free:
Start your risk-free trial for IPVanish. You can cancel your subscription at any time. There are no hidden costs. IPVanish offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. This VPN application has many flexible plans for individuals as well as organizations.
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FAQs:
Although the VPN closed its servers in Russia due to restrictions and the war, so you won’t be able to access Russian content from foreign countries. This has increased in light of the Ukrainian conflict. Some VPNs are banned in Russia, but big providers like NordVPN, ExpressVPN, ProtonVPN, etc., can still be accessed by downloading on the Play Store or from their website. These VPNs are more advanced, so they can break through the restrictions. You can choose one of the Best VPNs for Russia from our list above, create an account, connect to the VPN using their easy-to-use apps, and then you’ll be able to use Facebook without restrictions again. A VPN changes your IP Addresses so that it shows that you are from some other country, say the USA, rather than Russia, and thus, you can use the service. Even the Russian TV is controlled by the Government. Before 2012, the internet was uncensored and free in Russia, but that has changed in recent times.
Servers in Russia: If you want to access Russian content while staying in Russia and protecting your VPN identity, then Russian servers are a must. Also, it will help you access things only available in Russia while you are in some other country. Many VPNs can’t offer this feature because the Russian regulations are very strict and keep on seizing, and there is a potential security risk.The VPN has a strict no-logs policy: If a VPN doesn’t have a strict no-logs policy, it might store your browsing history and IP address and share it with the Government, in which case they might track you down and even put you in prison for trying to access content unavailable in Russia. A no-logs VPN also guarantees that your private searches won’t be revealed in case of data breaches, and someone from the company will also not be able to access them.The performance: This is necessary if you want optimum speeds in everyday browsing and you don’t want to sacrifice performance for security. Most VPNs nowadays are very fast.DNS Leak Protection and Obfuscation: DNS Leak Protection guarantees that your internet activity won’t be leaked and revealed, and it will remain secure and encrypted. Obfuscation shows your traffic while using a VPN as normal to your Internet Service Provider so that they don’t know that you are using a VPN.
