Does Astrill work in Russia?

As of Jul 25, 2026, we have not yet verified whether Astrill works in Russia.

Status: unverified
Confidence: low
Last verified: Jul 25, 2026
Method: If Astrill passes TSPU DPI at all, it would be via StealthVPN (QUIC/UDP obfuscation); OpenVPN/WireGuard are DPI-blocked nationwide since Feb 2026. astrill.com itself measured anomalous from an ER-Telecom probe in June, so download/signup from inside Russia may fail even if the tunnel works.

What we're seeing

OONI recorded only two measurements of Astrill's website from Russia, both anomalous, on June 18-19, 2026 from ER-Telecom, with nothing since and no measurements from Rostelecom, MegaFon, MTS, or Beeline. Russia's main censorship-circumvention forum, ntc.party, has zero threads mentioning Astrill. No dated user report confirms whether the tunnel connects, so status stays unverified.

Sources for the above:

user_report (Jul 22, 2026): OONI: only 2 measurements of astrill.com from Russian probes (Jun 18-19 2026), both anomalies, 0 confirmed; far too thin to ground a verdict; www.astrill.com has zero RU measurements since April 2026
user_report (Jul 22, 2026): Russian downdetector-style tracker: no problems detected or few complaints, 3 complaints Jul 21, 2 Jul 20 2026. Russian-city complaints are ~1 year old.
reddit (Jul 22, 2026): Background (archive, ends Feb 2025): most recent Astrill-Russia comments are r/AskARussian speculation that it might work like it does in China; no first-hand in-country report either way
news (Jul 22, 2026): Editorial guide claims Astrill has the highest success rate among VPNs tested in Russia via StealthVPN, but provides no test dates, ISPs, or methodology; cannot support a working verdict
news (Jul 22, 2026): Jun 11 2026 guide claims Astrill has the highest success rate in Russia via StealthVPN, but documents no tester, date, city, ISPs, or methodology; recorded as the conflicting side only

Common questions

Is using a VPN legal in Russia?

Personal use is not banned, but a law passed in July 2025 fines advertising VPNs up to 500,000 rubles and treats VPN use as an aggravating factor in other offenses. The state also blocks VPN services that refuse to censor.

Which VPNs still work in Russia?

As of July 2026, none is verified fully working. Mullvad documents a partial path with QUIC or Shadowsocks, and Proton says Stealth connects for many, though forum reports say it is targeted. Seven of the ten we track are blocked.

Can I pay for a VPN from Russia?

It is hard. Visa and Mastercard stopped working for foreign payments in 2022, and several providers limit Russian accounts. Where a provider accepts them, vouchers or cryptocurrency are the practical routes.