Does Private Internet Access work in Russia?

As of Jul 22, 2026, Private Internet Access is blocked in Russia.

Status: blocked
Confidence: medium
Last verified: Jul 22, 2026
Method: Site confirmed-blocked on Rostelecom, Megafon, MTS; only offers OpenVPN and WireGuard, both DPI-blocked; Shadowsocks multi-hop fallback reported broken by in-country users since Sep 2024; no obfuscation mode

Working alternatives in Russia

No VPN is currently verified as working in Russia. We would rather say that than guess. Check back after the next weekly verification pass.

What we're seeing

OONI logged 252 confirmed blocks of the PIA site in the last 30 days, with Rostelecom at 194 of 241 measurements anomalous and Megafon at 163 of 175. Every community thread since September 2024 reports PIA stopped working in Russia, including its Shadowsocks fallback; we found zero threads saying it works. PIA only offers OpenVPN and WireGuard, both DPI-blocked, and 2026 press notes the only surviving protocols are ones PIA does not have.

Sources for the above:

user_report (Jul 22, 2026): OONI Jun 22 to Jul 22 2026: 252 confirmed blocks plus 1,078 anomalies of 1,455 measurements; Rostelecom AS12389 194/241 anomalous, Megafon AS31133 163/175, MTS AS8359 46/57; website not tunnel
reddit (Jul 22, 2026): Background (archive, Sep 2024 to Jan 2025): r/PrivateInternetAccess threads uniformly report PIA stopped working in Russia including Shadowsocks and WireGuard; zero threads reporting it working
news (Jul 22, 2026): Mediazona Apr 7 2026 (background): 761 VPN apps removed from Russian App Store, even VLESS blocked late 2025; documents the 2026 escalation, does not name PIA
news (Jul 22, 2026): TechRadar 2026 (snippet-observed): only traffic-disguising protocols (XRay/VLESS, Hysteria, NaiveProxy) still work; PIA offers none of the surviving protocols
forum (Jul 22, 2026): ntc.party thread on PIA blocking (snippet-observed): reports all PIA servers blocked on April 14 (year not visible); background corroboration of specific targeting

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.