Sber, VTB, Alfa-Bank, T-Bank and others switched their TLS certificates to ones issued by the Mintsifry national CA. Safari, Chrome and Edge don't recognise them and mark the banks' sites as unsafe.
Sber, VTB, Alfa-Bank and others moved to Mintsifry certificates — and Safari, Chrome and Edge stopped opening their sites. Why the VPN is not at fault, and the step-by-step fix.
A VPN opens the banking app, but the confirmation code still flies to a Russian number. An honest breakdown: why the SMS never arrives and how to build a setup that works.
Since mid-April 2026, thousands of Russians abroad have hit the same wall: familiar services stopped opening. Gosuslugi — a white screen. Sberbank Online — a connection error. The carrier's account page — unreachable.
Russian banking apps can refuse to work or block transfers when you are abroad. A guide to using your bank safely with a VPN.
Sberbank, T-Bank and VTB can freeze your card or refuse a transfer outright when they see a foreign IP. How to use your Russian bank safely while abroad.
