Russia eSIM

Read the travel advice first

The UK Foreign Office advises against all travel to Russia, the US State Department says do not travel to Russia for any reason, and Germany's Foreign Office warns against travel there, citing drone attacks, terrorism, the risk of detention and limited consular help. Check their advice again before you go. AirOva's Russia plans start from $1.99 and are data only, with no calls, SMS or local number.

Which Russia plan to choose

GB plans run on T2 and Beeline, and unlimited plans, with no data cap and no fair-usage limit, on Beeline and T2. Each plan card shows whether it is listed as 4G or 5G; commercial 5G started recently in 16 Russian cities, but we cannot confirm a roaming eSIM gets it. A card that says Tele2 means T2, the operator's name since 2024; MTS and MegaFon are not on our plans.

The first day may be offline

Germany's Foreign Office says SIM cards from abroad are usually blocked from mobile data and SMS for 24 hours after entry, and some foreign SIMs have recently faced lasting limits. UK advice says the block can last days and also follows 72 hours off the network. So we cannot promise data on arrival: arrange an airport pickup through your hotel. The plan starts counting when it first connects in Russia, so skip a 1-day plan for arrival.

Blocked apps, VPNs and shutdowns

Roaming traffic from foreign SIMs is now filtered like local traffic, the digital ministry told Izvestia recently, so a travel eSIM does not open sites blocked in Russia. German advice says WhatsApp, FaceTime, Signal and many Telegram features work only via a VPN, so we cannot promise app calls; it calls VPN use not banned but monitored and increasingly obstructed. During regional shutdowns, often only a “white list” of approved Russian services works; we cannot confirm whether a roaming eSIM is affected.

Cash and the main airports

Visa and Mastercard cards issued outside Russia do not work in Russian shops or ATMs, UK advice says, so carry enough cash. Sheremetyevo (SVO) is 29 km north-west of central Moscow, Vnukovo (VKO) 28 km south-west and Domodedovo (DME) 42 km south-south-east; Pulkovo (LED) is 23 km south of central St Petersburg. Airspace closes during drone attacks, so expect delays.

Tip: install the eSIM at home on Wi-Fi and leave the line on during your stay, as 72 hours off the network can trigger the block again. Download your route's maps before you fly; more in our offline maps guide.