My experience with AI in Russia through a European's eyes
Summary
The article shares a European user's experience with AI tools in Russia under heavy VPN constraints. It discusses using GCP-related AI services, Gemini API, Vertex AI Studio, Claude, Qoder, GigaIDE, Cursor, and local models through Ollama and arpa.chat. The writer explains how restrictions shape the workflow, pushing use of VPNs, VPS servers, and local/offline setups. It also compares IDE options and model performance, highlighting practical tradeoffs between cloud access, speed, cost, and availability. The piece ultimately frames AI development in Russia as a workaround-heavy but still workable environment.
Classifications
industries
Fintech & Banking
applications
Accounting and Taxes
AskAI Classifications
Labels
SaaS
Consumer Software
Enterprise Software
Linked Companies
Google LLC
$100M to $250M
Cursor
up to $1M
OpenAI
$25M to $50M
Telegram Messenger
$1M to $5M
Ollama
$1M to $5M
Anthropic
$10M to $25M