Snapchat is not working in Russia not due to a failure on Snap's part, but because of a block: Roskomnadzor restricted the service on October 10, 2025, and officially confirmed this on December 4, 2025. As a result, the feed does not update, snaps are stuck on "Sending...", and stories do not load, even though the app on the phone and the account are intact. The block is network-based: the Russian provider does not allow traffic to the Snapchat servers. This means that access can be restored if this traffic goes through a server outside of Russia, that is, via a proxy. Below, we will analyze what exactly is blocked, what the proxy will fix, what it won't, and how to set it up on iPhone and Android.
What Happened and Who It Affects
On December 4, 2025, Roskomnadzor confirmed to the media that it is restricting the operation of Snapchat in Russia. According to the agency, as reported by TASS and RBC, the restrictions have been in effect since October 10, 2025. The official reason: the service is allegedly being used for organizing terrorist acts, recruiting performers, and committing fraud. The agency did not publicly provide any evidence, and Snap Inc. did not comment on the decision. Details can be found, for example, in the article from The Moscow Times.
On the same day, it became known about the restriction of FaceTime calls, and the day before, Roskomnadzor blocked Roblox. Roblox was unblocked in the summer of 2026, but there have been no reports of the restrictions on Snapchat being lifted as of November 2026: it is still listed as blocked in the news.
The block affects everyone who connects to the internet through Russian operators, both home and mobile:
- those who communicate on Snapchat with friends and relatives abroad;
- those who manage an account or publish stories for an overseas audience;
- foreigners living or working in Russia who are accustomed to using Snapchat at home.
If you have left Russia, the block does not affect you: Snapchat works abroad through the local operator as usual.
Why Snapchat Does Not Open: How the Block Works
Snapchat does not check which country you are in and did not block Russia itself. The access is cut off by the telecom operator at the request of Roskomnadzor: it recognizes connections to Snapchat servers and either terminates them or prevents them from being established. Therefore, the situation looks like this:
- the app opens, but instead of the feed, a loading indicator spins;
- snaps and messages are not sent or are delayed significantly;
- logging into the account ends with a connection error;
- the web version of Snapchat in the browser usually does not load either: it runs into the same infrastructure.
The main conclusion here is that the problem lies in the path the data takes, not in the account. If a server in another country establishes a connection with Snapchat, the Russian operator only sees the connection to that server, and the block on Snapchat does not apply to it.
What a Proxy Solves and What It Does Not
| Task | Will a Proxy Help | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Loading the feed, stories, sending snaps and messages | Yes | This is regular HTTPS traffic, which goes through the proxy without restrictions. |
| Logging into the account | Yes | If the proxy's IP is stable and does not change with each request. |
| Web version of Snapchat in the browser | Yes | The proxy is configured directly in the browser or system. |
| Voice and video calls | Not guaranteed | Calls often use UDP, while HTTP proxies only transmit TCP. Messages work, but calls may not connect. |
| Location on Snap Map | No | The map takes coordinates from the phone's GPS, not from the IP address. |
| Installing the app if it is not in your store | No | The assortment of the App Store and Google Play depends on the region of the Apple ID or Google account, not on the IP. |
| Unblocking a banned account | No | Bans are issued by Snap, and changing the IP does not lift them. |
Step-by-Step Instructions: How to Restore Snapchat via Proxy
- Choose a proxy with an IP outside of Russia. A country where Snapchat works without restrictions and where you won't mind "appearing" in the service's eyes will do. Most often, people choose the nearest country or one they have recently visited. The main thing is to stick to the same country all the time.
- Enable a fixed IP (sticky session). In the proxy settings, select a session with IP retention, rather than a new address for each request. This is critical for social networks: if the IP jumps between cities and countries, the service may require re-login or confirmation.
- Set up the proxy on iPhone. The easiest way: "Settings" → "Wi-Fi" → tap the "i" icon next to your network → "Configure Proxy" → "Manual." Enter the server, port, username, and password. The downside: this way, the proxy only works on this Wi-Fi network and only for apps that use the system proxy. To make Snapchat work over mobile internet as well, you need a client that wraps app traffic in a proxy (for example, Shadowrocket with support for HTTP and SOCKS5).
- Set up the proxy on Android. In the properties of the Wi-Fi network, there is a "Proxy" option → "Manual," but Android honestly warns that such an HTTP proxy is used by the browser, and other apps may ignore it. It is more reliable to install a client app that routes the traffic of selected programs through SOCKS5 or HTTP proxy with a username and password. Many such clients can direct the proxy traffic only to Snapchat, leaving everything else direct.
- Check that the proxy is working. Open any IP check website through the same tunnel: it should show the country of the proxy, not Russia.
- Restart Snapchat. Completely close the app and open it again. If the feed still does not load, clear the cache: in Snapchat settings, there is an option "Clear Cache" in the account actions section. Saved snaps and chats will not be deleted.
- Log in and check the main functions: loading stories, sending snaps, messaging. If the service asks you to confirm your login via email or phone, this is normal when connecting for the first time from a new IP.
If you have already used a proxy for Snapchat for other tasks, such as for geo-filters, the principles are the same. You can read more about them in the article proxies for Snapchat: geo-filters and bypassing blocks.
What Type of Proxy is Suitable and Why
For Snapchat, two things are important: the IP should look like a regular user's address, and it should not change in the middle of a session.
- Residential proxies — the optimal choice for a personal account. These are IPs from home providers, making you appear as a regular home internet user to the social network.
- Mobile proxies — the most "natural" option for an app primarily used on a phone: mobile operator IPs are shared among thousands of subscribers, and social networks treat them calmly. They are suitable if the account is valuable or if a residential IP has triggered checks.
- Data center proxies — cheaper, but social networks often view hosting addresses with suspicion. It is better not to use them for personal Snapchat accounts.
Honestly about the technology. A proxy transmits traffic via HTTP, HTTPS, and SOCKS5 over TCP. The feed, stories, chats, and media uploads work just fine. Calls and video chats often use UDP, so they may not connect through a proxy, and we won't promise their functionality.
And about volume. Traffic is billed per gigabyte, and Snapchat consists almost entirely of photos and videos. To avoid wasting gigabytes unnecessarily, route only Snapchat through the proxy, not the entire phone with system updates, video services, and cloud backups. Data saving in Snapchat itself also helps: there is a mode in the settings where stories and lenses do not preload.
Common Mistakes
- IP rotation on every request. This is convenient for scraping, but not for a social media account. The service sees dozens of addresses in a minute and may request a re-login.
- Changing countries every day. Today Germany, tomorrow Turkey, the day after tomorrow the USA — this looks like hacking, not a regular user. Choose one country and stick to it.
- Proxy only on Wi-Fi. Manual proxy on iPhone and Android is tied to a specific Wi-Fi network. If you leave home for mobile internet, Snapchat will not work again. A client app is needed for the mobile network.
- Free proxy lists. Such addresses are used by thousands of people, they are slow, often already blacklisted, and can intercept traffic. Entering your account password through them is a bad idea.
- Expecting the proxy to change location on Snap Map. The map shows GPS coordinates. The proxy does not affect it, and this is more of a plus: friends see you where you are, unless you have enabled the invisible mode yourself.
- Trying to use a proxy to lift a ban. If the account is blocked by Snapchat itself, the notification will come through the proxy as well. Support from Snap is needed here, not a new IP.
Conclusion
Snapchat has been unavailable in Russia due to a block on the part of operators since October 10, 2025, and there are currently no signs of it being lifted. The account remains intact, and the feed, stories, and messaging return as soon as Snapchat traffic goes through a server abroad. For this, a stable residential or mobile proxy from the same country, a fixed IP, and a client that directs only Snapchat traffic to the proxy are needed. Calls through the proxy may not work, and Snap Map and the app store do not depend on the IP. If you want to test it on your account, start with a small volume of residential traffic and one fixed IP.