In short
- No operator charges for international traffic.
- In spring the proposal was 15 GB per month free and 150 ₽ for every gigabyte above the limit. The launch was postponed twice.
- Since September 23 a different option is under discussion: 50 GB of international traffic per month on 5G networks only.
- Every option concerns mobile internet. Home internet and Wi-Fi are not mentioned in the discussion.
- Foreign traffic is traffic to servers with foreign IP addresses, including VPN servers abroad.
- Since May 2026, MaskNet has worked through entry points in Russia: your operator sees only a Russian server, there is no international traffic — and nothing to pay for it.
Latest news
October 5, 2026. Kommersant reported that Mintsifry has returned to the idea of a fee for international traffic (Kommersant). One option is a charge above 50 GB of international traffic per month on 5G networks. In spring the threshold under discussion was 15 GB.
What else the report says:
- The ministry planned to launch the billing in October 2026; the timeline may shift.
- Operators are not ready: 5G traffic currently runs through the LTE network, and operators cannot count international traffic in it separately.
- It is not decided how to count traffic of Russian services that run on foreign IP addresses and foreign infrastructure.
- MTS, Beeline, MegaFon and T2 declined to comment.
- The average subscriber uses about 24 GB of mobile traffic per month; 13.8% use more than 50 GB. This is total traffic, not only international.
This section is updated with every new wave of news. The date at the top of the article is the day of the last update.
Will there be a fee for international traffic?
There is no decision. Mintsifry has been discussing a fee since spring 2026, but no option has been approved, and operators say they are not technically ready. In July Deputy Minister of Digital Development Ivan Lebedev told the State Duma that a fee for foreign traffic is not being considered (Meduza, July 7). In September and October the topic came back.
What was proposed: spring and autumn 2026
| March — May 2026 | September — October 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Limit | 15 GB of international traffic per month | 50 GB of international traffic per month |
| Networks | Mobile internet | 5G only |
| Price above the limit | 150 ₽ per GB | Not named |
| Launch date | May 1, 2026, then autumn | October 2026, may shift |
| Status | Postponed until after the State Duma elections | Under discussion, no decision |
Timeline
- March 30. Forbes reported on meetings between Minister of Digital Development Maksut Shadaev and operators and platforms. Operators were offered a limit of 15 GB of international traffic per month and a charge of 150 ₽ per GB above it, launching by May 1 (Fontanka).
- April 22. Operators asked Mintsifry to postpone the launch: they need to reconfigure billing, update tariffs and decide what counts as international traffic (Vedomosti).
- May 22. RBC, citing sources: the launch was moved to autumn, after the State Duma elections on September 18–20 (CNews).
- July 7. Deputy Minister Ivan Lebedev in the State Duma: a fee for foreign traffic is not being considered (Meduza).
- September 11. 5G launched in 16 cities, available to about 10 million subscribers (Kommersant).
- September 23. BBC and Forbes, citing sources: a surcharge for international traffic on 5G above 50 GB per month is under discussion, with a possible start on October 1. Operators say the price and timing are not set (Meduza).
- October 5. Kommersant: Mintsifry is discussing the 50 GB on 5G option with operators; operators have no technical solution (Kommersant).
Has a VPN fee been introduced?
No. As of October 6, 2026 no operator charges for VPN or for international traffic. A separate fee for VPN as such was never proposed: the discussion is about a fee for international traffic, and a VPN with a server abroad falls into it together with all other foreign traffic.
Was the fee introduced on October 1?
No. The October 1 date came from BBC and Forbes sources on September 23; the government did not approve it. On October 5 Kommersant wrote that the timeline may shift because operators have no technical solution.
What "50 GB on 5G" means
This is the option under discussion since September. The limit applies only to international traffic and only on 5G networks: the first 50 GB per month are included in the plan, and traffic above that is charged extra. Traffic on 4G and 3G is not mentioned in this option.
5G launched in Russia on September 11, 2026 in 16 cities. For now only Android smartphones connect to it (Meduza, September 23).
What happened to the 15 GB limit
This was the spring option. In March operators were offered a limit of 15 GB of international traffic per month on mobile internet and 150 ₽ for every gigabyte above it, launching by May 1. Operators asked for a delay, and in May the launch was moved to after the State Duma elections. The fee under this scheme was never introduced. In autumn the discussion moved from 15 GB to 50 GB on 5G.
How much will a gigabyte above the limit cost?
The price has not been approved. In spring the figure was 150 ₽ per gigabyte above 15 GB. The October reports on the 50 GB option name no price.
Do MTS, MegaFon, Beeline and T2 charge for VPN?
No. None of the four operators charges for international traffic or for VPN. Every option is discussed for all operators at once. MTS, Beeline, MegaFon and T2 declined to comment on the October reports.
Is there a law on a foreign traffic fee?
No. No law, government resolution or ministry order on a foreign traffic fee has been published. It is not a tax: the discussion is about a surcharge in operators' plans, which the operator charges the subscriber for traffic above the limit.
Does it apply to home internet?
No. Every option discussed in 2026 concerns mobile internet, and the latest one only 5G networks. Home internet and Wi-Fi are not mentioned in the discussion.
How does the operator know traffic is foreign?
Every website and service runs on a server with an IP address. The IP address shows the country where the server is registered. The operator sees which addresses your phone connects to: if the server is abroad, the traffic counts as international.
International traffic includes:
- foreign websites and apps;
- VPN, if the phone connects to a server abroad;
- Russian services, if some of their servers or content delivery networks are abroad.
The last point is one of the unresolved problems: Russian services use foreign IP addresses and infrastructure, and how to count that traffic is not defined (Vedomosti, Kommersant).
How to check your traffic usage
- iPhone: Settings → Mobile Data (Cellular). Usage since the last statistics reset, per app.
- Android: Settings → Network & internet (or Connections) → Data usage. Usage by month and by app.
- Your operator's app: remaining allowance and a breakdown of charges.
Neither the phone nor the operator's app currently shows international traffic separately — only the total. To estimate how many gigabytes you use per month, try the traffic calculator.
How to turn off the VPN fee
There is nothing to turn off: there is currently no fee for VPN or for international traffic. If your bill shows charges you don't recognise, open the breakdown in your operator's app and check paid subscriptions and services — they are turned off there too.
Does the fee apply to free VPNs?
Yes, if it is introduced. The fee under discussion is for international traffic, not for a VPN service. For the operator it makes no difference whether a VPN is paid or free: if the phone connects to a server abroad, the traffic is international.
How MaskNet protects you from the international traffic fee
The MaskNet connection is a cascade: your device connects to a MaskNet server in Russia, and that server passes traffic on to the location you chose. Your operator sees only a connection to a Russian server — no international traffic arises, and the operator will not apply a foreign-traffic fee to the MaskNet connection.
This setup has worked since May 2026. If a fee for international traffic is introduced, MaskNet needs no reconfiguring and you need to change nothing: your subscription and app stay the same.
Smart routing sends the traffic of Russian services — Gosuslugi, banks, marketplaces — outside the VPN tunnel: they see your Russian IP, and you don't need to turn MaskNet off. How the network is built — on the About MaskNet page.
Frequently asked questions
Will there be a fee for international traffic?
There is no decision. Mintsifry has been discussing a fee since March 2026; the latest option is a charge above 50 GB of international traffic per month on 5G networks. Neither the start date nor the price has been approved, and operators say they are not technically ready.
Has a VPN fee been introduced?
No. As of October 6, 2026 no operator charges for VPN or for international traffic. The discussion is about a fee for international traffic in general; a VPN with a server abroad falls into it.
Was the fee introduced on October 1?
No. The October 1 date came from sources in September; the government did not approve it. On October 5 Kommersant reported that the timeline may shift.
How much does a gigabyte above the limit cost?
The price has not been approved. In spring the figure was 150 ₽ per gigabyte above 15 GB; no price was named for the 50 GB on 5G option.
Does the fee apply to home internet?
No. Every option concerns mobile internet, and the latest one only 5G networks. Home internet and Wi-Fi are not mentioned in the discussion.
Will my operator charge for the MaskNet connection?
No. Since May 2026, MaskNet has connected through entry points in Russia: your operator sees a connection to a Russian server, and no international traffic arises. If the fee is introduced, nothing changes for you.