Sovcombank and Pochta Bank from abroad: which website won’t open and where to log in now

Anyone who has left Russia and tries to reach Sovcombank from abroad may see an endless loading screen instead of the familiar page: in our measurements, this happened on one network abroad, while on others the site responded. For former Pochta Bank clients, the story is different: since May 1, 2026, their bank has been merged into VTB, and the old address now merely redirects to a page of the new owner. Below are our October 12 measurements, the banks’ rules for clients living abroad, the apps in the stores, and the cases where a Russian IP address may come in handy.

Why the Pochta Bank website won’t open outside Russia, and Sovcombank’s opens only on some networks

The two banks have different reasons, so we’ll go through them one at a time.

• Pochta Bank. On its page for Pochta Bank clients, VTB writes: “On May 1, 2026, Pochta Bank ceased to exist, having joined VTB.” Accounts with balances were automatically moved to VTB overnight from April 30 to May 1, and the Pochta Bank app stopped working the same day. The www.pochtabank.ru address is still alive, but from Russia it only answers with a redirect to www.vtb.ru/pochtabank/. From abroad, according to our measurements, a connection to it isn’t established at all.
• Sovcombank. The bank operates as before, but its sovcombank.ru home page sits behind Qrator protection: a program without JavaScript gets status code 401 and a browser-check script instead of the page. The site’s certificate was issued by the Russian Ministry of Digital Development’s certificate authority (Russian Trusted Sub CA), so browsers without the Russian root certificate show a warning. We cover this in detail in the article why a bank’s website triggers a “Your connection is not private” message.

In comments to Interfax dated April 27, 2026, Russia’s Ministry of Digital Development said that banks, government portals and marketplaces work for users abroad, and that disruptions can come from restrictions introduced by individual countries or providers. The ministry also allowed that during large-scale DDoS attacks, developers briefly restrict foreign traffic. Why these particular addresses don’t respond to some foreign networks, the banks haven’t explained publicly; at least, we found no such explanation.

What our October 12, 2026 measurements showed

We sent requests to the home pages of both banks, to the Sovcombank web version address taken from the bank’s own materials, and to the website of the Halva card, where the bank hosts its online account. We didn’t enter any logins or go into any accounts; times are in UTC.

For Pochta Bank, the verdict is clear: the old address didn’t respond from any of the three points abroad, and from Russia it leads to VTB. For Sovcombank, the picture is mixed: our server has failed to connect to the home page since the evening of October 10, while probes in Germany and Kazakhstan reached the Qrator protection within the same minutes. The app page that pwa.sovcombank.ru leads to opened from our server even while the home page was silent.

Pochta Bank is now VTB: where to log in and whom to call

Pochta Bank no longer has a website of its own, so there’s no point in trying to get through to pochtabank.ru: even from Russia it leads to a VTB page. On that page, the bank lists what has changed for clients.

• Accounts and cards. According to VTB, a Pochta Bank card “will move to VTB together with the account and balances,” there’s no need to reissue it, and you can manage it in VTB Online. The transaction history for Pochta Bank cards can’t be viewed since May 1, 2026; the bank suggests ordering a statement at a branch.
• First login. For those who weren’t VTB clients before, the bank suggests logging in to VTB Online with a temporary password sent by SMS and setting a permanent one right away. That means you need access to your Russian number for the first login.
• App and web version. The Pochta Bank app stopped working on May 1, 2026. On an iPhone, VTB recommends the web version of VTB Online in the Yandex, Luna and Safari browsers; on Android, the VTB Online app.
• Calling from abroad. For those outside Russia, VTB lists the number +7 495 785-53-05. According to VTB, pensions from Russia’s Social Fund have been credited to the client’s VTB account automatically since May 2026; for those who live abroad and were not VTB clients before, the bank offers to arrange the transfer of a pension or social benefits through its contact center.

Why the VTB website may show a certificate warning from abroad, and which browser the bank itself recommends, we explained in the article on the VTB website and logging in to VTB Online from abroad.

Sovcombank and Halva abroad: where to log in and what the rules allow

Sovcombank has an official way in that doesn’t depend on the sovcombank.ru home page. The “Halva – Sovcombank” app page (pwa.scb.ru, which is also where pwa.sovcombank.ru redirects) says this about the iPhone: “The app is not available in the AppStore, but you can use the Personal Account.” The account buttons lead to halvacard.ru/lk2/, and for quick access the bank suggests putting an account icon on the iPhone home screen. For other phones, the page collects installation options for Android, Huawei, RuStore and Galaxy Store. There’s only one phone number on the page, 8-800-100-000-6, marked “For calls within Russia”; no number for calls from abroad is given there.

Sovcombank’s “Regulations on remote banking services for individuals” say nothing about VPNs or about staying abroad. We found version 7.0, approved by an order of April 18, 2023; we couldn’t find a newer edition in the public domain, so it’s best to check the current terms with the bank. This version has clauses worth knowing before you travel:

• Clause 2.3.8. It is forbidden to use the remote banking system “from places that do not merit trust (internet cafés, railway stations, airports, etc.) or using public communication channels (free Wi-Fi).”
• Clauses 3.5.2 and 10.2.10. The bank may restrict use of the system if it suspects unauthorized access to the accounts, and block access to it “if suspicions arise of possible unauthorized use of the Identifiers.”
• Clause 8.4. The bank monitors SIM card changes on the linked number and may suspend SMS Banking until the client confirms the change; if there are signs of “suspicious operations and transactions,” access to SMS Banking may be suspended or terminated.

The banks’ apps in the stores as of October 12

• “Halva – Sovcombank.” It’s in RuStore: version 7.30.1-gms came out on October 9, 2026, with more than 11 million downloads. On October 12, this app’s Google Play page returned “not found,” and a search of the App Store doesn’t turn up any Sovcombank app. Back in April 2022, AppleInsider.ru included Sovcombank in its list of banks whose apps Apple had removed from the store.
• “VTB Online.” RuStore has version 20.18.1.3 from October 2, 2026, with more than 40 million downloads. The VTB app disappeared from the App Store in the same year, 2022, which is why the bank offers iPhone owners the web version.
• The Pochta Bank app. It hasn’t worked since May 1, 2026, so there’s no point in installing it.

We didn’t test how the apps themselves work from abroad. Install them only via links from the banks’ official pages.

Anti-fraud and VPNs: what to keep in mind before logging in to your bank

Since January 1, 2026, Bank of Russia order No. OD-2506 of November 5, 2025, has set out the signs of transfers carried out without a client’s voluntary consent. Point 1.6 of its annex names an operation location and a device that are unusual for the client, and point 1.10 names a network provider that is atypical for the client, as well as “the use of tools that hide session data.” A bank’s fraud protection may treat a VPN login as such a sign, especially if you normally connect directly. In that case, the bank is entitled to ask you to confirm the operation, hold the transfer or restrict access to online banking; for Sovcombank, these rights are spelled out in clauses 3.5.2, 8.4 and 10.2.10 of its remote banking regulations.

We found no specific request to turn off a VPN on VTB’s page for Pochta Bank clients, in Sovcombank’s regulations, or on its app page. Still, keep your Russian SIM card active: that’s where codes arrive, and VTB sends the temporary password for the first login by SMS. Confirm operations only with your own details and from your own number.

What to try if your bank won’t open from abroad

• Change your connection. The Ministry of Digital Development suggests switching the type of connection: local mobile internet or a different operator instead of hotel Wi-Fi. In our measurements, Sovcombank’s home page responded to some foreign networks and not to others.
• Former Pochta Bank clients: go straight to VTB Online. The old address leads nowhere except the VTB page.
• Sovcombank clients: use the Halva account. Open halvacard.ru/lk2/ or the pwa.scb.ru page rather than the sovcombank.ru home page.
• Call. For calls from abroad, VTB lists +7 495 785-53-05; the Sovcombank number on the app page is labeled as a number for calls within Russia.

A Russian IP if Sovcombank’s home page won’t load on your network: a week without paying

If neither another network nor the direct account addresses help, you can try a Russian IP. Using Liberum VPN’s location in Russia on October 12 at 22:46 UTC, the old Pochta Bank address answered with a redirect to the VTB page, while sovcombank.ru and halvacard.ru returned the Qrator check page with code 401, just as they did for probes in Russia. So a connection was there, even though in the same minutes our server abroad couldn’t connect to either pochtabank.ru or sovcombank.ru. The program doesn’t execute JavaScript, so we didn’t go past the Qrator check. In our measurements, the halvacard.ru web account responded the same way from Russia and from abroad, so for it the country is apparently not the cause.

A Russian address may work in your case, and finding out costs nothing. Here’s how: open the Liberum VPS bot and get a free week, no card required; among the locations, tap 🇷🇺 Россия (“Russia”); load the bot’s subscription link into Happ or a comparable app; connect, then open halvacard.ru/lk2/ or VTB Online. The location’s address is shared: many of the service’s clients go online through it. If the account opens but the bank won’t let an operation through, turn off the VPN and contact the bank. For details on how this access works, see Russian IP access to Russian websites from abroad.

What we don’t promise

• That you’ll be able to log in to VTB Online or the Halva account. We only saw the servers’ responses, not the pages after login.
• That your account won’t be blocked. Sovcombank’s remote banking regulations allow it to restrict and block access (clauses 3.5.2, 8.4 and 10.2.10), and the signs from the Bank of Russia order are applied by every bank, VTB included.
• That the certificate warning will go away. Sovcombank’s certificate from the Russian ministry’s authority is the same for probes in Russia and abroad: the bank’s server sends it, and a Russian IP has no effect on that.
• That SMS codes will arrive. They are delivered by your operator while roaming, and a VPN changes nothing here.
• That the picture will stay the same. This is a snapshot as of October 12, 2026; banks’ protection and network routes change without warning.

Key takeaways

• Since May 1, 2026, Pochta Bank has been part of VTB; its old website leads to a VTB page from Russia, and on October 12 it gave no response at all from three points abroad.
• Former Pochta Bank clients need VTB Online: the first login uses a temporary SMS password, and the number for calls from abroad is +7 495 785-53-05.
• Sovcombank’s home page hasn’t responded to our server abroad since the evening of October 10, but probes in Germany and Kazakhstan did reach it.
• Sovcombank’s browser account is halvacard.ru/lk2/; the “Halva – Sovcombank” app is in RuStore, but not in the App Store or Google Play.
• A VPN may alert a bank’s anti-fraud system, so it’s best to keep your Russian SIM card.
• Liberum VPN’s Russian location can be tried for 7 days free of charge, with no guaranteed result.