報道指 Claude 用戶以俄羅斯護照驗證後遭封禁：2026 年 10 月事件梳理

Short answer: Since October 29, 2026, users with Russian passports report that their Claude accounts are banned right after they complete identity verification through Persona, Anthropic's verification partner. Reports include paying Pro and Max subscribers and Russian citizens who live in supported countries such as New Zealand, Georgia and Armenia. Anthropic has not commented. This is the third reported wave of Claude bans affecting Russian users in 2026, after May and early October.

What happened on October 29, 2026?

On October 29, Meduza, iStories, T-Zhurnal and UNITED24 Media published user reports with the same pattern. Claude stops answering and asks the user to verify their identity. The user uploads a Russian passport and takes a selfie. The account is banned shortly after, in one Telegram report "within a minute."

One case, first posted on Reddit, involves a Russian citizen living in New Zealand on a four-year visa. He paid for Claude, used Claude Code, was charged two days before the ban, and lost access right after uploading his Russian international passport. Meduza also cites complaints from users with Russian documents who live in Georgia and Armenia.

A ban notice quoted by Meduza reads: "Our automated systems detected a large number of signals associated with your account that violate our Usage Policy." It did not say which rule was broken. A user on X said that after the ban he could only export his chats, and his appeal was rejected.

How does Claude identity verification work?

Anthropic describes the process in its help article Identity verification on Claude, dated August 11, 2026. The key points:

Anthropic uses Persona Identities as its verification partner and says it is "rolling out identity and business verification for a few use cases." The article does not say that every user will be asked.

You need an original, physical, government-issued photo ID, such as a passport, driver's license or national ID card, plus a selfie. Digital or mobile IDs, photocopies, screenshots, student cards and bank cards are not accepted. Meduza describes the flow as choosing the region of the document, uploading a photo of it and completing a face scan.

The ID and selfie are collected and held by Persona, not on Anthropic's systems. The help article links an appeal form for bans and a separate form for failed verification. It does not mention nationality, visas, residency or refunds.

According to iStories, Anthropic warned in June 2026 that it could request a passport and selfie from July, and said the check was already used on accounts from countries where Claude is not officially available.

Who is affected?

Based on the published reports, the bans follow verification with a Russian passport. The reported cases include people who live in Russia and use a VPN, and Russian citizens who live in supported countries: New Zealand, Georgia and Armenia.

Meduza reports that the ban also reaches people who do not live in Russia but lack a residence permit elsewhere. iStories reports that Russians who live in supported countries are affected as well. The New Zealand case, a long-term visa holder, matches the broader iStories description.

Users from mainland China are also asked to verify before they can send messages. Some report bans after uploading a passport, while others with Chinese passports say they passed. UNITED24 cites unverified Telegram claims that Russian driver's licenses passed when another country was selected in the form. None of this is confirmed by Anthropic.

Is this the first wave of bans?

No. Russian media describe at least three waves in 2026.

May 2026: CNews reported on May 8, citing Baza, that Anthropic blocked several hundred accounts of Russian users without warning. Owners of blocked profiles reported subscription refunds.

Early October 2026: The Moscow Times reported on October 2, citing The Bell, that Russian users began losing access from October 1. Notices cited suspicious signals of rule violations. One user had paid $200 per month for Claude Max for over a year and was connecting through a virtual server in Helsinki. Hong Kong users on VPNs reported similar losses of access.

Late October 2026: The current wave, tied to Persona verification with Russian documents.

For scale, The Moscow Times cites Anthropic's own transparency reporting: from January to June 2026, Anthropic banned 11.4 million accounts across all countries, received about 398,000 appeals and restored about 42,000 accounts.

Why is Anthropic banning these accounts?

Anthropic has not explained the current bans publicly. Meduza writes that what drives them "remains unclear," and iStories says Anthropic has not explained the reasons.

What is on the record is Anthropic's Supported Regions Policy. It states that "any country or region not listed is unsupported." Russia, Belarus, mainland China and Hong Kong are not on the list. The policy covers use by people physically located in an unsupported region, and use by companies headquartered in an unsupported region or majority owned or controlled from one. The version published on the page shows an effective date of November 12, 2026.

The policy text is based on location, headquarters and ownership. It does not mention citizenship. That is why bans of Russian citizens who live in New Zealand or Georgia surprised users. Explanations offered by experts quoted in the press, such as frequent IP and region changes through VPNs, stricter checks of unverified accounts, or payment patterns, remain unconfirmed.

Do you get a refund for a banned Claude subscription?

Sometimes, but nothing guarantees it. CNews reported refunds after the May wave, and UNITED24 says subscription payments were refunded in some October cases. Meduza's New Zealand case says the user was charged two days before the ban, with no refund mentioned. Anthropic's help article does not cover refunds for banned accounts. Use the appeal form linked in the help article to raise both the ban and the payment.

What can you do if your Claude account is banned?

Appeal first. Anthropic's help article links an appeal form. Appeals do succeed: about 42,000 of roughly 398,000 appeals in the first half of 2026 led to restored accounts, about one in ten.

Export your data. Users report that chat export can still work after a ban. Do it before anything else, especially if you keep project files or long conversations in Claude.

Check where you use Claude from. The Supported Regions Policy depends on where you are physically located and where your company is based. If you work from a supported country, keep your account details, billing and location consistent with that.

Separate the app from the API. A claude.ai subscription is a consumer account. Claude models are also available through the Claude API, Amazon Bedrock, Google Cloud Vertex AI and API platforms such as Tokely, where you pay per token and connect tools like Claude Code with an API key. Each platform has its own account terms, so read them for your situation.

FAQ

Does Anthropic ban everyone with a Russian passport? Anthropic has made no such statement, and its published policy does not mention citizenship. The reports describe bans right after verification with a Russian passport, including for people who live in supported countries.

Is identity verification required for all Claude users? No. Anthropic says it is rolling verification out "for a few use cases." Users report that Claude stops answering until they verify, so in practice it acts as a gate on affected accounts.

Does Anthropic keep my passport photo? According to its help article, the ID and selfie are collected and held by Persona, not on Anthropic's systems.

Can a banned Claude account be restored? Sometimes. Use the appeal form in Anthropic's identity verification help article. In the first half of 2026, about 42,000 accounts were restored after roughly 398,000 appeals.

Is Russia a supported country for Claude? No. Russia, Belarus, mainland China and Hong Kong are not on Anthropic's list of supported regions.

Originally published at tokely.me.