business phone · 7 min read
How to Call Russia from the US
How to call Russia from the US: dial 011 + 7 + area code + local number. Covers Moscow, St. Petersburg, mobile prefixes, 11 time zones, costs, and sanctions context.
To call Russia from the US, dial 011 + 7 + area code + local number. Example: 011-7-495-XXX-XXXX reaches a Moscow landline. Mobile example: 011-7-916-XXX-XXXX. The 011 is the US exit code; 7 is Russia’s country code.
One important note before you dial: +7 is shared between Russia and Kazakhstan (a legacy of the Soviet ITU allocation). The area code after +7 determines the country — Russian city codes and Kazakh city codes do not overlap.
A second note on carrier availability: since 2022, some US carriers and VoIP providers have restricted or suspended Russia routes. Personal calling to Russia remains legal under OFAC General License 25D, but check your provider’s current terms.
Step-by-step: how to dial Russia from the US
- Dial 011 — the US international exit code. Required from any US landline. On a US mobile, you can substitute
+(long-press0). - Dial 7 — Russia’s ITU country code.
- Dial the area code — 3 digits for major cities (Moscow: 495 or 499; St. Petersburg: 812). Do not include Russia’s domestic trunk prefix
8. - Dial the local subscriber number — typically 7 digits, completing 10 digits total after the country code.
- Press call.
Full format: 011 7 [area code] [local number]
E.164 format for contacts: +7 [area code] [local number]
Russian area codes by city
| City | Area Code(s) | Example (from US) |
|---|---|---|
| Moscow | 495, 499 | 011-7-495-XXX-XXXX |
| St. Petersburg | 812 | 011-7-812-XXX-XXXX |
| Novosibirsk | 383 | 011-7-383-XXX-XXXX |
| Yekaterinburg | 343 | 011-7-343-XXX-XXXX |
| Nizhny Novgorod | 831 | 011-7-831-XXX-XXXX |
| Kazan | 843 | 011-7-843-XXX-XXXX |
| Chelyabinsk | 351 | 011-7-351-XXX-XXXX |
| Samara | 846 | 011-7-846-XXX-XXXX |
| Vladivostok | 423 | 011-7-423-XXX-XXXX |
Russia’s federal numbering plan, maintained by Roskomnadzor, assigns 3- to 5-digit area codes.
The area code plus local number always total 10 digits after the country code.
How to call a Russian mobile number
Russian mobile numbers start with a 9XX prefix (common blocks: 916, 903, 920, 985, 977, and many others). They are 10 digits total after the country code — no separate city area code.
Format: 011 + 7 + 9XX-XXX-XXXX
Example: 011-7-916-123-4567
From a US mobile using E.164: +7 916 123 4567
Unlike landlines, mobile numbers carry no geographic information. The 9XX prefix identifies the carrier block (MegaFon, MTS, Beeline, Tele2), not a city. Save Russian mobile contacts in +7 9XX-XXX-XXXX format — it works whether you dial from the US or while roaming internationally.
How Russian phone numbering works
Russia’s national numbering plan is administered by Roskomnadzor (the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications). Key rules:
- All Russian numbers are 10 digits after the +7 country code.
- Landlines: 3- to 5-digit area code + remaining local digits = 10 total.
- Mobile: 10-digit number beginning with 9 (no separate area code).
- Domestic callers dial
8as a trunk prefix before the area code — equivalent to the UK’s leading0. Drop this8entirely when dialing from the US.
+7 shared with Kazakhstan: The Soviet-era ITU allocation gave the entire USSR zone +7. After the USSR dissolved, Russia retained +7 and Kazakhstan also kept +7. Russian and Kazakh area codes do not overlap — Almaty uses 727, Astana uses 717 — so dialing the right area code ensures you reach the right country. If a contact gives you a +7 number and you are unsure whether it is Russian or Kazakh, ask for the area code context.
Russia’s time zones: 11 zones, no DST
Russia spans 11 time zones, from Kaliningrad (UTC+2) on the Baltic to Kamchatka (UTC+12) on the Pacific — the widest span of any country.
Key reference points:
| City/Region | Zone | UTC Offset | vs US Eastern | vs US Pacific |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moscow (MSK) | Moscow Time | UTC+3 | +8 h | +11 h |
| Yekaterinburg | YEKT | UTC+5 | +10 h | +13 h |
| Novosibirsk | NOVT | UTC+7 | +12 h | +15 h |
| Vladivostok | VLAT | UTC+10 | +15 h | +18 h |
| Kamchatka | PETT | UTC+12 | +17 h | +20 h |
Russia abolished daylight saving time in October 2014. Clocks do not change seasonally. Moscow is always UTC+3, year-round.
Practical calling windows from the US:
- Eastern Time: call 7–11 AM ET to reach Moscow 3–7 PM local (standard business end-of-day).
- Pacific Time: call 7–10 AM PT to reach Moscow 5–8 PM local (still within evening hours).
- For Vladivostok or Russian Far East contacts, overlap is extremely limited — their business day begins while the US West Coast is in late afternoon.
Calling costs: what to expect in 2026
Costs for US-to-Russia calls vary sharply by method.
US carrier per-minute rates (no international plan): AT&T and Verizon typically charge $2.00–$3.50 per minute to Russia. T-Mobile’s international rates are similar. Even a 10-minute call can cost $30.
Carrier international add-ons: Many major US carriers either no longer include Russia in their international bundles or price it separately at higher rates. Verify Russia inclusion before assuming your existing plan covers it.
VoIP per-minute rates: VoIP providers that maintain Russia routes charge approximately $0.02–$0.10 per minute — a 95–98% reduction versus carrier rates. For businesses calling Russian-based partners or managing a diaspora customer base, VoIP is the economical path.
Free calling apps: Telegram is the dominant messaging and calling app in Russia with the highest adoption rate. WhatsApp is also widely used. VK (VKontakte) supports voice calls within its network. These are free between app users over data/Wi-Fi.
For current DialPhone rates on international destinations, see DialPhone pricing and the free trial.
Sanctions and service restrictions: what you need to know
Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the US, EU, and allies imposed wide-ranging sanctions. Here is what that means for voice calls:
Calling Russia is still legal. OFAC General License 25D (US Treasury) explicitly authorizes “transactions ordinarily incident and necessary to the receipt or transmission of telecommunications involving the Russian Federation.” Personal and business voice calls are permitted.
Some providers have restricted routes voluntarily. Skype and Microsoft suspended new calling subscriptions to Russia in 2022. Some US carrier international plans have removed Russia from covered destinations. This is a commercial decision by providers, not a legal prohibition.
Payment restrictions apply to Russian-based services. Paying a Russian telecom company directly may run into payment processing restrictions. Using a US-based VoIP provider that routes calls to Russia avoids this issue.
Check your provider’s current terms before relying on Russia calling for business operations. Route availability and pricing can change with shifting sanctions guidance.
For factual sanctions details, see OFAC Russia-related sanctions (US Treasury) and FCC international services guidance.
Mobile vs. landline and app calling
Landlines in Russia have declined sharply but remain common in offices, government agencies, and older residential buildings. Moscow landlines (495/499) and St. Petersburg (812) are the most frequently dialed US-to-Russia destinations for business callers.
Mobile is dominant for personal communication. Russians use prepaid SIM cards widely, and mobile numbers (9XX prefix) are the primary contact method for individuals.
Telegram dominates over-the-top calling in Russia. As of 2025, Telegram has the highest daily active usage among Russian internet users for messaging and voice. WhatsApp is the second most used. These apps work over Wi-Fi and mobile data — US callers with Russian contacts should ask whether they prefer Telegram or WhatsApp for voice rather than a direct carrier call.
VK (VKontakte) supports calling within its platform and is popular for Russian-speaking diaspora communities connecting with friends and family.
SMS and business calling to Russia
SMS delivery to Russian mobile numbers from US carriers works in most cases but is subject to the same route availability issues as voice. App-based messaging (Telegram, WhatsApp) is more reliable for reaching Russian mobile contacts.
Business calling context: US companies with Russian-speaking diaspora customers, immigration-related clients, or existing Russian partnerships represent the primary use case. Cold outbound calling to Russian numbers for new business development is limited by the sanctions environment and the practical difficulty of route availability.
For number portability questions if you are moving a US business phone account, see the number porting guide. For STIR/SHAKEN call authentication context, see the STIR/SHAKEN glossary entry.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Can you still call Russia from the US?
Yes. Personal and business voice calls from the US to Russia remain legal. OFAC General License 25D explicitly authorizes transactions ordinarily incident to the transmission of telecommunications involving Russia.
The main practical issue is that some US carriers and VoIP providers voluntarily suspended or restricted Russia routes after 2022. Skype/Microsoft, for example, suspended new calling subscriptions to Russia. Check your provider's current terms before planning regular Russia calling.
What is the country code for Russia?
Russia's country code is +7. From a US phone, you reach it by dialing the US exit code 011 followed by 7, then the 10-digit Russian number (area code + local).
Note that Kazakhstan also uses +7 (a legacy of the Soviet-era ITU allocation). Russian and Kazakh area codes do not overlap, so the digits after +7 determine which country you are reaching.
Is +7 Russia or Kazakhstan?
+7 is shared between Russia and Kazakhstan. Both countries were allocated the same ITU country code during the Soviet era and retained it after independence.
The distinction is in the area code: Russian major city codes include 495 (Moscow), 812 (St. Petersburg), 343 (Yekaterinburg). Kazakh major city codes include 727 (Almaty) and 717 (Astana/Nur-Sultan). If you are unsure which country a +7 number belongs to, the area code will tell you.
Do I need to drop the 8 when calling Russia from the US?
Yes. Inside Russia, callers dial 8 as a domestic trunk prefix before the area code — similar to the leading 0 in the UK. When calling from the US, that 8 is not part of the number. You replace it with 011 7.
So a Moscow number listed domestically as 8-495-123-4567 is dialed from the US as 011-7-495-123-4567. Including the 8 after the country code is the most common reason US-to-Russia calls fail to connect.
How do I call a Russian mobile number from the US?
Russian mobile numbers begin with a 9 prefix (e.g., 916, 903, 920) and are 10 digits total after the country code. Format: 011 + 7 + 9XX-XXX-XXXX.
Example: 011-7-916-123-4567. On a US mobile you can use + instead of 011: +7-916-123-4567. Mobile numbers have no city area code — the 9XX prefix identifies the carrier block, not a geographic location.
What time is it in Moscow right now?
Moscow operates on Moscow Standard Time (MSK), which is UTC+3. Russia abolished daylight saving time permanently in 2014, so Moscow is always UTC+3 year-round — there is no seasonal clock change.
Moscow is 8 hours ahead of US Eastern Standard Time and 11 hours ahead of US Pacific Standard Time. Good calling windows: 8 AM–noon Eastern reaches Moscow at 4–8 PM local; 8 AM–noon Pacific reaches Moscow at 7–11 PM local (late but often reachable).
How much does it cost to call Russia from the US?
Costs vary widely by method. Major US carriers (AT&T, Verizon) charge $2.00–$3.50 per minute to Russia without an international plan — and many carrier international bundles no longer include Russia routes.
VoIP providers that maintain Russia routes typically charge $0.02–$0.10 per minute. For free calling, Telegram is the most widely used app in Russia and supports voice calls between users at no cost. WhatsApp is also widely used.
What is STIR/SHAKEN and does it affect calls to Russia?
STIR/SHAKEN is the FCC-mandated call authentication framework used in the US to attest that a calling number is legitimate. It applies to the US outbound leg of your call.
Russian carriers are not part of the STIR/SHAKEN ecosystem. Calls terminating in Russia will not carry attestation information on the Russian side. For inbound calls from Russia to US numbers, the absence of STIR/SHAKEN attestation means US carriers may flag them as potentially unverified — relevant if you expect return calls from Russian contacts.
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About the author
Growth Operations Lead at DialPhone
Darshan leads Growth Operations at DialPhone, where he owns three interconnected programs: the comparison content operation, the open VoIP Pricing Dataset, and the test-call methodology used to verify every pricing claim published on the site.
His research process starts with hands-on product trials and live vendor quotes — not marketing pages. Pricing figures are cross-checked against actual invoices and re-verified on a rolling quarterly cycle, with the underlying dataset kept public for independent re-verification. That dataset now covers 40+ VoIP and virtual-number providers across the US and Canada market.
Darshan also leads DialPhone's AI receptionist evaluation program, running structured test-call scenarios across English, Spanish, and French to assess transcription accuracy, intent routing, and escalation behavior. Methodology notes and raw scoring are archived in the research section.
For factual corrections or dataset discrepancies, Darshan can be reached at the DialPhone editorial address. Verified corrections are published as errata with a changelog date — no silent edits.