With a premium VPN, you can continue to access your favorite social media platform regardless of censorship. Here’s how you can access Instagram from Russia: While other censorship in Russia only blocks accounts from outside the country, the Russian ban of Instagram blocks all access to the app. This means an estimated 80 million Russian Instagram users will no longer have access to their accounts or the accounts they follow. The good news is, there is a way to stay connected to your friends and family on Instagram, regardless of where you’re located or the level of censorship you face. With a VPN, or a virtual private network, you can bypass all such restrictions.
How to Access Instagram From Russia
The way to unblock Instagram in Russia — or any country where it is banned — is by replacing your IP address with one from another country where the site is accessible. The best way to do this is by signing up for one of the best VPNs and downloading it from the VPN provider directly.
Test results for VPNs in Russia
Since Russia currently blocks many major VPN websites, including NordVPN, downloading a VPN directly from the provider’s website is oftentimes difficult. Fortunately, we have completed some testing within the country and found several VPNs that are still currently available in Russia. It is important to note that PayPal and many credit cards are not currently working for Russian citizens due to various sanctions. Due to this, you will have to rely on alternative payment methods. Below are the VPNs currently available in Russia and the types of payment methods currently accepted by those VPN providers.
How to download a VPN in Russia: A step-by-step guide
How to Choose a VPN to Use in Russia
Even in the most internet-free countries, there are a few must-haves for a quality VPN. These are even more important if you want to get a VPN for Russia. Since Russia is known for its extreme levels of censorship, any VPN you choose must provide premium privacy, safety, and internet freedom to be our recommendation. We looked for VPNs with features like:
No-logging: If the VPN logs your data, your private information — including your identity — could make its way to officials or cybercriminals. Server locations with internet freedom in mind: It’s important to pick a VPN with server locations close enough to keep your speed, but in locations with more internet freedom than Russia. Places like Sweden, the UK, and the US are great server locations for optimum freedom. Strong encryption and VPN protocols: The VPN has to provide the ability to circumvent geographical restrictions while keeping your information protected from prying eyes. This will allow you to view restricted content such as news websites and streaming services.
Surfshark VPN: An excellent VPN for an excellent price
We recommend Surfhshark over the other VPNs listed above for several reasons. However, the main reasons are Surfshark VPN’s strong encryption, no-log policies, and user-friendly software. It also doesn’t hurt that it accepts several alternative payment methods while keeping the prices low. The built-in kill switch instantly “kills” your internet connection if the VPN disconnects. This keeps your IP address private. The last security feature we wanted to mention, is Surfshark Nexus. This new addition to the Surfshark VPN keeps your traffic within the network so users can change their server location without disconnecting from the VPN. This offers more protection of the user’s real IP address. For more information, please read our complete guide to the best VPNs for Russia. You can also use Surfshark to unblock LinkedIn from Russia.
Why a VPN is Needed for Accessing Instagram in Russia
Russia has a long history of censorship. However, recent events have increased the country’s censorship policies. This was partly due to the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 that pushed many to began uploading videos to social media outlets in an effort to have their stories heard. Instagram Reels from the warzone were being watched as the attack was happening. Meaning, Putin and the Russian government had less control over the information that was making its way back to the Russian citizens. This could be partly behind Russia’s new law criminalizing spreading “false information about the invasion of Ukraine.“ As mentioned above, there is a way to unblock Instagram wherever you are. All you need to do is signup for a quality VPN and use that to connect to Instagram. This works because a VPN changes your IP address to the VPN’s server IP address. For example, if you’re in Russia and you connect to a VPN server in London, it appears that you’re connecting to Instagram from the United Kingdom. By changing your IP address, you can bypass internet censorship and enjoy the websites blocked in Russia or any other country. Unfortunately, there are some countries that make it hard to signup for a reliable VPN, this includes Russia. Due to internet censorship in Russia, many VPN websites are blocked from those within Russia’s borders. In this article, we covered how to download a VPN in Russia, including the current VPN websites that are not blocked.
Dangers of using a free VPN
While we do recommend using a free VPN for certain things, we do not recommend them for keeping your personal information safe in countries like Russia. This is because most free VPNs track their user’s information. This makes them less than ideal for countries with privacy concerns. Add to that the data limits they apply to their free accounts and you have a major issue for keeping yourself safe from overstepping authorities.
Use a VPN to Unblock Instagram and Other Blocked Apps
Russia’s censorship continues to expand in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine and various sanctions being placed on Russia. So far, the country has blocked or censored websites and platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, Google, and Twitter, as well as others. Without a premium VPN subscription, you’ll be blocked from uncensored news, social media platforms, and the global internet at large. This is why a VPN is so important. It allows us to keep the internet free and uncensored. It helps us connect to those we love regardless of the government in office. A VPN not only keeps your identity private but opens up the free internet by unblocking Instagram and other websites. Sign up for Surfshark or NordVPN to unblock Instagram.
