Running Claude Code and Fable 5 from Russia: New Ways to Bypass Restrictions

Two months have passed since the release of the first part. Anthropic and Google updated their development tools, releasing new versions of Claude Code and Antigravity with support for advanced models like Fable 5 and Opus 4.8. But the updates brought a problem: these tools stopped working from Russia.

What Broke

New versions of Claude Code and Antigravity added stricter geolocation and access verification. If previously the tools worked with simple browser-level workarounds, now a full-fledged VPS solution with traffic proxying is required. Direct connections from Russian IP addresses are blocked at the API request level right at the entry. At the same time, security requirements for working with API keys increased — the system now monitors not only IP addresses, but also usage patterns, request timing, and API call frequency. Familiar browser-level workarounds stopped working.

How to Solve It: VPS and Local Servers

• Setting up an Ubuntu VPS on a foreign hosting provider (Vultr, DigitalOcean, Linode) with a tunnel to local Claude Code through SSH
• Running a local proxy server that redirects requests through VPS and masks the real IP
• Using a local Docker container with local LLM models (Ollama, LM Studio) as a fallback in case of VPS failure
• Setting up an SSH tunnel for secure work with API keys and protection of traffic from logging
• Caching requests through Redis on VPS to optimize traffic and reduce latency

Key point — the VPS doesn't have to be powerful. A standard configuration will suffice: 2-4 vCPU and 8 GB of RAM is enough. The main processing load goes to the local machine, the VPS only passes through traffic and masks the source.

New Capabilities Worth the Effort

The updates brought significant improvements to the models themselves. Fable 5 shows better results on fast, synthetic tasks — ideal for code where speed is needed. Opus 4.8 received an expanded context window (now up to 200K tokens) and improved understanding of code structure. Claude Code now supports deeper integration with local tools and git repositories.

"It's worth struggling with the setup, the results are worth it," — a

conclusion from feedback from developers who tried the new versions.

For those who work with long code files (10K+ lines) or need analysis of large projects, the increased context of Opus 4.8 is critical. Fable 5 is preferred for its speed in responding to simple refactorings and auto-completion.

What This Means

Anthropics and Google's attempt to strengthen geographic restrictions is a normal step to comply with local laws and policies. But developers will adapt. VPS solutions remain an accessible and legal way to access the tools. The main thing is not to violate the terms of service when setting up tunnels and proxies. If the first part told us about basic setup and understanding the problem, the second part delves into more complex scenarios — for those willing to spend a few hours on configuration to gain access to current development tools.