Hey everyone,
Following up on the discussions about accessibility for users in restricted regions - I’ve made two things that show, end to end, how to subscribe to NymVPN from Russia, where foreign bank cards are unavailable and crypto is still a barrier for non-technical users.
The problem it solves
For many people in Russia (and similar regions) paying for a privacy tool is the hardest part of getting one: no Visa/Mastercard, no PayPal, and crypto onboarding scares away exactly the people who need a VPN most. Meanwhile NymVPN accepts Telegram Stars - which can be bought with a regular Russian card or SberPay without leaving Telegram.
1. Video walkthrough (~80 seconds)
A complete real purchase recorded on Android and edited into a single continuous walkthrough: buying Stars with SberPay → confirming the payment in the bank app → paying for NymVPN with Stars in the bot → creating an account → saving the recovery phrase → active subscription. All personal and card data is pixelated. Ready to be used as-is in Telegram channels, support chats or socials - watching it once answers most “how do I even pay” questions.
2. Illustrated guide (Russian + English)
Built from the same walkthrough: 15 steps with real screenshots, in two parts - buying Stars and subscribing in the NymVPN bot. Includes:
- key facts up front: 686
= 1 month, the 750-Stars pack is enough, $7.99/mo plan, +1 free month via referral - a prominent warning about the 24-word recovery phrase (the #1 thing new users lose)
- a short “why NymVPN” section: anonymous signup (no email/name), Fast mode vs Anonymous (mixnet) mode, open source, up to 10 devices
Each language version is a single self-contained HTML file styled to match NymVPN branding - easy to host anywhere or attach to a support page.
Why it matters
The whole flow takes ~5 minutes and requires zero crypto knowledge and zero personal data. In my experience walking people through this, the payment step is where most of them previously gave up.
Happy to hand the files over for the docs/support portal, adapt the layout, keep the guide updated as the bot flow changes, or add more languages if there’s demand. Feedback welcome.