How To Watch American Netflix in Russia

Russia has had Netflix for a while now but like many countries, doesn’t have the same catalog of content that America does. This is mainly down to how Hollywood and the studios like to control licensing and force it onto Netflix in return for being able to show content from those studios. There is a way to watch American Netflix in Russia though and this tutorial will show you how.

We use a VPN, Virtual Private Network, to access content in other countries. It’s a simple, cost-effective way of not only working around geoblocks, where providers limit access to content depending on where you live but also securely encrypts all of your internet traffic at the same time.

Russia and VPNs

The advice in this tutorial may be time limited as Russia has announced it will be blocking VPN access on a national scale soon. The state telecommunications watchdog wants all VPNs to register with an online service that will keep the state’s blockade of certain websites intact. Not all VPN providers have registered with this new system and will stop providing access soon. Two of our favorite providers, ExpressVPN and NordVPN are among them.

I would normally suggest trying both of these services as well as others for watching geoblocked content abroad. In the case of Russia, I cannot do that as yet as we don’t know when or how this situation will end. There are other VPN providers who are not being targeted though. Not yet anyway.

It is incredibly difficult to block VPN access and there are a number of technologies that can hide them. Only time will tell how effect Russia is at doing that and which providers can work around it and which cannot.

VPNs and geoblocking

How does a VPN let you watch American Netflix in Russia? A VPN creates an encrypted tunnel between the app on your device and a VPN server. Your traffic will then transit the provider’s network to your selected exit node, be decrypted and then sent out into the internet.

For example, if you connect to a US VPN server from Russia, your traffic will be encrypted on your device by the VPN app. It will then be sent to the provider network all the way to that US exit node. There it will be decrypted and sent onto the internet. As far as the internet is concerned, your traffic originated from that US server so has a US IP address and will be able to access US content. In this case, the American Netflix catalog.

Watch American Netflix in Russia

For the time being at least, you can use one of these VPN providers to watch American Netflix in Russia. All offer 256-bit encryption, an app that works on most devices and actively work to allow access to Netflix from around the world. Nothing is ever guaranteed though which is why they all offer a free trial or moneyback guarantee.

PureVPN

PureVPN is a large VPN provider with an equally large network. With over 2,000 VPN servers in 180 locations, it has the breadth and reach to enable to you watch whatever you want from wherever you want. It has an app that helps connect and control everything that will work on most devices and makes using this VPN a breeze.

IP Vanish

IP Vanish is another large provider with over 1,300 servers in 75 locations across the world. It has a neat app that makes using the service very straightforward and the service itself seems very reliable. It is certainly fast enough for TV streaming and has the size and scale to maintain availability for the foreseeable future.

Private Internet Access

Private Internet Access is another VPN provider who tries to keep Netflix available wherever in the world you might be. With over 3,320 VPN servers in 32 countries, it has the reach to provide local access wherever in the world you might be. With a very usable app, fast network, easy account management and no traffic limitations, it’s a viable option here.

StrongVPN

StrongVPN is another provider that should let you watch American Netflix in Russia. It has 650 VPN servers in 46 locations, including the US and should be fine for streaming TV or movies across the internet. It too has a user-friendly app that works on almost any device, connects quickly and makes server switching a breeze.

Cyberghost

Cyberghost is my final recommendation that lets you watch Netflix from anywhere. It’s an established company with over 3,700 VPN servers in 55 countries and works to keep Netflix available as much as possible. The app is very straightforward and works on almost anything, network speed is good too!

Watching American Netflix in Russia may have an uncertain future but you can rest assured of one thing, most VPN providers hate it when authorities block access to content or censor the internet so one or more of them will make sure you can always access a free internet wherever in the world you are.