Is Claude available in Russia? How to sign up and use it in 2026
Claude doesn't open from Russian addresses and doesn't accept Russian phone numbers. What you need to register, how the free tier works, why accounts get banned and how to avoid it.
Quick fix. Claude needs a foreign IP address on every visit. Get Surok in Telegram: 3 days free, exits in Europe, the US and Canada.
Why it doesn't open. Not an ISP block: Anthropic doesn't serve users in Russia, so claude.ai says the service is unavailable in your region.
To register you need a VPN with an exit in a supported country, an email address, and a non-Russian phone number for the SMS code (needed once).
Free tier. Web search, image and file analysis, chat history; there is a daily message limit.
Paid plans. Pro is $20 a month, Max from $100. Russian cards aren't accepted; people pay with a foreign bank card or through the mobile app with a foreign App Store or Google Play account.
Avoiding bans. Never log in without the VPN, stick to one country, avoid free VPNs with shared addresses, don't buy ready-made accounts.
Claude Code and the API follow the same rules; on a computer use the VPN in TUN mode so terminal tools don't bypass it.
See also ChatGPT in Russia and Gemini in Russia.