When Claude goes quiet or throws an error, look at status.claude.com before anything else. If it is green and you still see the error, Anthropic's servers are not the problem. What remains is the key, billing, the account, the region and the client settings. We take them in that order.
First, check that the service is up
As of 2 November 2026, Anthropic's status page lists six products: claude.ai, Claude Console, Claude API, Claude Code, Claude Cowork and Claude for Government. You can subscribe to alerts by email, SMS, Slack, Microsoft Teams, webhook or RSS. If an incident is open for your product, all you can do is wait.
Overload looks different. Code 529 overloaded_error means the API is temporarily short of capacity because of traffic from all users. What to do about it is covered in Claude error 529.
What the API response code means
The table below comes from Anthropic's error reference for the Claude API (platform.claude.com/docs/en/api/errors). The error body is always JSON with the fields type, message and request_id.
| Code | Type | What the documentation says |
|---|---|---|
| 400 | invalid_request_error | The request is malformed in format or content. The same code comes back when spending has hit a limit you set yourself |
| 401 | authentication_error | The key is damaged, revoked or expired |
| 402 | billing_error | Something is wrong with payment or billing details |
| 403 | permission_error | The key has no rights to this resource |
| 404 | not_found_error | The resource does not exist, check the path and IDs |
| 429 | rate_limit_error | The request limit or the monthly spend cap is exhausted |
| 500 | api_error | Internal Anthropic error, retry with a growing delay |
| 504 | timeout_error | The request ran out of time, long ones need streaming |
| 529 | overloaded_error | The API is temporarily overloaded |
The important part is what the table lacks. The reference names no separate code for an unsupported region, and the regions policy text mentions none either. One status code will not give you the cause. Read the message field and keep the request_id: support asks for exactly that.
When Claude fails specifically from Russia
Anthropic publishes a Supported Regions Policy page with an effective date of 12 November 2026. We opened it on 2 November 2026. According to its text, the apps, the API, the developer platform and Claude models in the clouds and at authorized resellers are available only in the listed countries and regions. Anything not on the list is called unsupported. Russia is not on it. Use by people who are physically located in such a region is also called unsupported.
The page leaves some things unexplained, and it is worth knowing which. It does not say how the policy will be enforced from 12 November. It says nothing about existing accounts and API access, or about deadlines and a transition period. So we will not guess from symptoms whether a failure is the region or the account. We are not lawyers and draw no conclusions about your case.
What you can check yourself:
- Your email, including the spam folder. Anthropic's help center names three reasons for a ban: repeated Usage Policy violations, creating an account from an unsupported location, and breaches of the terms of service. The decision arrives by email.
- Signing in at claude.ai. For a blocked account, the appeal form opens at claude.ai/restricted, and only while signed in to that account. Anthropic promises no response time and says it is currently "longer than usual".
- Getting your data out. The help center lets a blocked user sign in to export data or delete the account. How to do it is described in Exporting your Claude data.
Block types and the appeal process are covered in detail in Claude account banned or blocked. What is and is not known about 12 November is in Does Claude work in Russia.
Claude Code won't start or returns an error
Here about half the trouble sits in settings, not in access. Run claude, then /status, and look for two lines. That is what the Claude Code documentation advises for working through a gateway.
Anthropic base URLappears only when a gateway address is set. No line meansANTHROPIC_BASE_URLnever reached the session.Auth tokenorAPI keywith a variable name confirms that the gateway key is in use. IfLogin methodwith a claude.ai account shows up instead, Claude Code is using a saved login, not the key.
When a key and a saved login are active at the same time, startup prints a warning about two sources. The /logout command removes the saved login and leaves one key. A 401 through a gateway most often means the key sits in the wrong variable: ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN goes out in the Authorization: Bearer header, ANTHROPIC_API_KEY in the x-api-key header.
Connecting Claude Code to codexkey? Keep three rules from the setup guide in mind. The address is written without /v1. The key starts with sk_cdx_. The ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_* lines are required: without them Claude Code asks for its own default models and answers "There's an issue with the selected model".
A quick check without Claude Code, one token of output:
curl -sS -w '\n%{http_code}\n' https://api.claudexia.tech/v1/messages \
-H "x-api-key: $CLAUDEXIA_API_KEY" \
-H "anthropic-version: 2023-06-01" \
-H "content-type: application/json" \
-d '{"model":"claude-sonnet-5","max_tokens":1,"messages":[{"role":"user","content":"."}]}'
If the response starts with {"id":"msg_, the address and key are fine and the cause is in the Claude Code settings. A 401 points at the key.
What not to do
Do not download "fixed" builds or apps from third-party sites. There is one official download: claude.ai/download redirects to claude.com/download. Do not hand your login and password to anyone who offers to "set up a subscription". We do not review VPN choices and do not give ways around the regional restriction. What is known about bans tied to VPNs is collected in VPN for Claude.
If you need Claude for work and have no access
A workflow that hangs on one personal account breaks with a single email. For code and agents, a separate API key and an address you switch with an environment variable are more dependable. codexkey is an API gateway: you get a sk_cdx_... key, top up the balance with a Russian card, through SBP (the Russian Faster Payments System) or with crypto, and call Claude models at https://api.claudexia.tech. The gateway does not replace the claude.ai site or Anthropic's subscription features. Anthropic's regional policy does not go away because of it, and no service can promise anything about the future.
To prepare in advance, use the checklist for 12 November; moving a project step by step is covered in Migrating a project to a gateway. Looking for a Claude Code replacement? Read the Gemini CLI review.
FAQ
Why is Claude not working today?
Open status.claude.com. If an incident is open for your product, it is an Anthropic outage and waiting is the only fix. With a green status, check the key, billing, the account and the region.
Why is Claude not working in Russia?
Russia is not on the country list of Anthropic's regions policy, and use by people physically located in an unsupported region is called unsupported. The policy takes effect on 12 November 2026. The page does not explain how it will be enforced.
Why is Claude not working with a VPN?
The policy text does not mention VPNs; it speaks of physical location. Anthropic has not publicly confirmed that it blocks specifically for VPN use. More in VPN for Claude.
What should I check if Claude Code does not work?
Run /status and compare the Anthropic base URL and Auth token lines. Then send a one-token request with curl. If curl answers and Claude Code stays silent, the problem is in the client settings, not the key.
What does a 403 error in the API mean?
Anthropic's documentation describes it as the key lacking rights to a resource. The error reference names no link to the region. Read the message text in the response and keep the request_id.