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Watch Russian TV online - you can do it from anywhere

You want to watch Russian TV online? Then I'll tell you how to do it easily with a good VPN service. There are currently only a few good VPN providers with functioning servers in Russia. With CyberGhost* I had no problems during my tests and the service is also cheap!

More and more Russians are currently living outside the state borders and the reasons for this are well known. I don't want to write about politics here, but rather to explain how you can watch Russian TV online from outside Russia. Whether movies, series, current news or sports, you can bypass geo-blocking from anywhere in the world with a VPN service with Russian servers and stream Russian TV on the Internet as usual.

I won't even go into the possibilities with satellite dish or expensive additional subscription. Because this is in my opinion not only no longer contemporary, but also much too cumbersome, because with clunky hardware / technology, not mobile usable and also relatively expensive.

How can I watch Russian TV online?

Very quickly and simply explained how you can watch Russian TV online

Total Time: 10 minutes

You need a VPN

Not just any VPN, but a VPN with working servers in Russia. I tested a few for this and CyberGhost* is the service with the best price-performance ratio. It has real (not virtual) servers in Russia and thus unblocking Russian online streams works as well.

Download the app

Once you have obtained the VPN service through my link, I get a small commission for it by the way, please download the CyberGhost app on your device(s).

Connect with Russia

After installing the app, you need to connect to the available Russian servers. Then you can be sure that the Russian stream you want to watch will not block you. Because by connecting to the server in Russia, you now have a Russian IP address.

Start streaming

Now that you have set yourself up with a Russian IP address, you can watch the Russian TV channel of your choice online. In the course of the article I will list most of your Russian channel options.

Which Russian TV channels can I watch online with VPN?

Basically, with a VPN and a connection to a Russian server, you can watch all the popular Russian TV channels online. Without any expensive hardware or subscriptions. Of course, you also need Internet, Wi-Fi or mobile data, but I just assume that nowadays. Of course, it also depends on what exactly you want to watch online on Russian TV. Is it news, sports or movies and series? Below is an overview of all the options for watching Russian TV online.

The main Russian TV channels in the country

Here are the most important Russian TV channels, which have the highest ratings in the country. For most channels, it is also possible to stream the desired program from the media library. This way, you don't have to follow the Russian broadcasting times. However, it should be clear to you that the stations of Russian state television broadcast their propaganda. Many Russian channels are currently blocked in Germany and other parts of the world.

  1. Rossiya 1 - Russia's largest state broadcaster
  2. 1tv or Perwy Kanal – Russia's No. 1 channel
  3. TNT – entertainment (series, movies)
  4. NTV – entertainment
  5. RBC – stock market TV
  6. Euronews Russia – Russian news channel
  7. Match TV – sports channel (among others Bundesliga, Champions League for free)

Popular Russian Livestream Portals

  • Planeta-Online.TV – Russian TV portal with several channels (movies, series, documentaries)
  • Smotrim.ru – most comprehensive TV platform for Russian TV and radio
  • matchtv.ru – online sports TV portal in Russian language - all sports live

Why do I need a VPN to watch Russian TV online

In my opinion, there are three reasons why you need a VPN to watch Russian TV online. Let's look at them one by one and go into detail:

Geo blockades on Russian livestreams

Russian TV is intended for Russian citizens living in Russia. Accordingly, Russian TV stations purchase broadcast licenses from broadcasters and media companies around the world, which are limited to broadcasting in the Russia region. This restriction is done by contract and with a technical tool, software, that sets up geo-blockades. These geo-blocks are set up with the help of software that tells the Russian TV station what the IP address of the user is who is currently trying to access the Russian online stream. If this is not a Russian IP address, the service is unceremoniously blocked and the user sees only a black image or receives a message that he is not authorized to watch the livestream. Of course, this is not handled quite as strictly in Russia as in other countries. It's also not the exclusive reason why you should use a VPN to watch Russian TV online!

High security risk with Russian live streams

I'm sure you've noticed that Russia is one of the countries where cybercrime is commonplace. I don't want to create panic here, but I personally would never click on a Russian website without my VPN, one of the best and not just any VPN, turned on. As I mentioned in the beginning, I use CyberGhost* here because it not only bypasses geo-blocking, but also ensures that I surf anonymously, as well as that my risk of infection with malware is significantly minimized. Decide for yourself if clicking on a Russian website without a VPN is worth the risk.

Propaganda and Online Censorship in Russia

As just mentioned, a good VPN service will ensure that you can surf the Internet anonymously. Moreover, with the service you can bypass geo-blocks and travel virtually to the country of your choice. Why is this so important in this context? Because you will be able to access media from other regions or countries. It is well known that there are countries that manipulate their own media landscape and cover it with censorship. Russia is at the forefront when it comes to this issue. Since the war of aggression on Ukraine, the number of Russian VPN users has increased extremely.

FAQs

Is it illegal to watch Russian TV online with a VPN?

In Germany, Switzerland and Austria, this is not the case. However, you should know that using a VPN to conceal a crime is illegal. If you are abroad, check for yourself if it is legal where you are.

What else can I do with a premium VPN?

Quite a few things. I save a lot of money with a VPN when streaming sports. Among other things, I watch the Champions League for free from anywhere in the world.

How much will a VPN cost me to watch Russian TV?

Cyberghost is very cheap compared to other premium providers. Currently, it costs just under 2 euros per month. Unfortunately, you can't use a free VPN service, because these services don't have servers in Russia in the first place. In addition, many free services are not secure.

By: Michael Miller
Michael is the CEO of VPN Online, one of the fastest-growing media companies in the cyber-security space. VPN Online was started in 2019 after Michael consulted with many Fortune 500 companies and saw the lack of understanding about cybersecurity many of their employees had.