Scope first: there are no instructions here for getting around blocks. Just what's known about Chai's problems and an honest look at what to do about them.

Why there are so many contradictory articles about Chai

The service itself never publicly announced any changes to free access. Everything that's known comes from user reviews and from what you can see in the app. That's why Russian-language articles about Chai often just retell each other with mismatched dates. Below, facts are kept separate from observations, and open sources have no exact dates for when access was cut off in Russia.

Problem one: the free messages ran out

In spring 2026, users started complaining en masse: free messages had vanished entirely or been cut sharply, and the app was pushing a subscription. It's switching on unevenly: some people hit a hard paywall, for others nothing has changed. It looks like a gradual rollout by region and user group.

What that means for you: if Chai has stopped letting you chat for free, it's almost certainly not your account or a glitch. It's the service's decision, and there's nothing to fix.

Problem two: the payment won't go through

This is where a user in Russia hits a real wall. A Chai subscription is bought inside the app through the App Store or Google Play, not through the service's own payment form. You can't link a Russian card to an app store account, and that's not a one-day glitch, it's how store payments work right now.

That leaves intermediaries, gift cards and other people's accounts. All of these work hit-or-miss, with a fee on top, and break regularly. In effect you pay twice: for the subscription and for the ability to buy it at all.

Put the two together and the picture is clear: free access is closed and you can't pay. For a user in Russia the service is effectively unavailable, even if the app still opens.

Problem three: you were charged, but there's no subscription

A separate set of complaints: the money was taken but premium never kicked in, or the app keeps offering a subscription even after you paid. It looks like the store and the service falling out of sync rather than anything malicious, but that doesn't make it any less frustrating.

Refunds for a purchase like this go through the app store, not Chai's support: Google Play and the App Store both have a refund form for in-app purchases, and it usually works faster than writing to the service.

What can be fixed and what can't

  • Nothing gets fixed through settings. Your cache and app version have nothing to do with it.
  • Payment from Russia can't be fixed: as long as purchases go through the store, a Russian card won't work.
  • Paid access isn't up to you: the service can change it either way without notice.

Similar services have similar complaints, but the mechanics are different. See Character.AI not working, Janitor AI in Russia and Polybuzz in Russia.

What to use instead of Chai

If you specifically want Chai, with its huge bot catalog and phone app, then honestly there's no full replacement, and it all comes down to payment. But if you just want something that works in Russian and takes rubles, look at services built for Russian-speaking users.

my-idol.ru opens in the browser on your phone or computer, with nothing to install. You pay with a Russian card directly, without stores or intermediaries, and you can start for free.

  • Characters reply in English or Russian, whichever you choose: heroes from anime, TV shows, comics and books, plus originals.
  • Unlike text-only Chai, a character can answer with a voice and send an image right in the chat.
  • Memory: the character remembers what you talked about before.
  • Group chats with several characters at once.
  • A builder, if you want to make your own bot from scratch.

Where Chai is stronger: the catalog is bigger, and a mobile app is handier than a bookmark. If you want thousands of user-made bots and an icon on your home screen, keep that in mind. More options in our roundup of the best AI chats in Russian.

Start a conversation

Pick a character and write to them in English or Russian. No translating required.

Choose a character

And something that's true of any service: a character is a language model, not a person. It's a great companion for an evening and a partner for a story, but it doesn't replace real people. If things have been hard for a long time and there's no one to really talk to, consider reaching out to a therapist or a crisis line.