u/Old-Elevator-2508

Hey everyone, I just booked my flights today for a trip to Russia from August 8th to 21st! I know there has probably been other posts on this topic but things change incredibly fast with this stuff, so I'm looking for some advice from anyone who has traveled recently / live there and know the process for foreigners. For connectivity, I'm trying to decide on an eSIM. I've seen mixed reviews for Holafly (lots of good but also lots of bad), and I heard Popcorn eSIM service is very new and very reliable but a bit pricier. Both of their support teams told me their esims work 100% in Russia. If you've been recently, what eSIMs did you guys use / worked best for you? I’m also aware of the 24-hour network block on foreign sims, but a few people mentioned they managed to bypass it early by confirming an SMS verification link when they landed. Does anyone know how that works or if it's actually possible?  Doesn’t matter too much I am prepared to wait 24 hours to have connection regardless.
For VPNs, i was told I should get multiple because they can often lose connection. so I want to download a few highly reliable ones. Which specific ones are most stable and working right now? Regarding money, I keep getting conflicting info on getting a local bank card. I read that you need a notarized and translated copy of your passport to open a bank account because I need a local SIM card and these documents are needed for a local sim, but I see lots of different info everywhere. Has anyone also used a YooMoney? I've heard you shouldn't put too much cash on it and that people mostly just use it for train tickets and small everyday payments. If anyone has insight on the current rules for foreign passport holders at Sberbank/Tbank or any tips on YooMoney right now, I'd really appreciate the help! And last but not least drop some hidden gems in Moscow / Spb for itinerary! Always curious on more spots to visit than just the basics! Don’t know if I’m asking these questions a bit early since my trip is still like 40 days from now and things change but I want to be as prepared as possible. Thank you guys so excited to visit Russia!

Hey, so I’m planning a trip to Russia soon from the US. I’ve already got my visa and everything sorted, so now it’s just down to booking the flights for me and my friend (who's also American).
I already booked my flights to Turkey. So from here it’s only Turkey to Moscow.
At first I was looking into using Aviasales (if they even take Western cards) But for the dates I need, it just keeps trying to redirect me to these super sketchy third party agency websites, so I'm definitely passing on that.
I did find a really good price for a flight directly through Ural Airlines, but I can’t use my Western card on their site. My Russian friend offered to book the ticket for me and I'd just pay her back, which sounds great, but I’m worried it might cause issues later like when we actually show up to check in at the airport. I’d have her put my email on the booking, but Im not sure how the process works if everything will be in Russian, if I will need some type of verification to check in, etc. sorry if I sound stupid I never been to Russia hahaha or ever had someone else book flights for me in a foreign country.
On the other hand, the exact same Ural Airlines flight is listed on Trip.com. It’s about $150 to $170 more, but the upside is I can use my own card and the whole check-in process would probably be a lot smoother managing it directly through their app. That is, unless Trip.com just redirects me straight to the Ural Airlines site to check in regardless, which I have no idea if they do I never used 3rd party apps / sites. I usually always book directly with airlines and avoid third party agencies entirely, but I can’t really book direct due to sanctions unless it’s Turkish airlines. Turkish Airlines doesn't really seem like a viable option either because their prices are way too high, and the only ones that are somewhat reasonable come with brutal layovers. Looking for some opinions should I save the extra $150-170 and have my Russian friend book for me (this also involves me sharing some personal passport info with her) I trust her she is one of good friends and would not do anything with the info but I also don’t really like sharing that type of info with anyone because you never know nowadays. Or should I fork up the extra cash and just book through trip.com and hope everything goes smooth that way. I just hate the fact I’d pay close to $200 more for the exact same flight just because it’s through an 3rd party service. The ural flight comes with checked bag but on trip.com I have to pay for checked bag and the flight itself is already like $80 more.