GLM API in Russia: Zhipu GLM-5.3 models paid in USDT
The GLM API on RuAPI gives you five Zhipu AI (Z.ai) models on one key: the flagship glm-5.3, the low-cost glm-5.3-flash, GLM-5.2, GLM-5-Turbo and GLM-5V-Turbo, which understands images. It all works from Russia without a VPN, and you do not need a z.ai account. You top up in USDT from 5 USDT, so no foreign card is required, and USDT itself can be bought with rubles via SBP.
from openai import OpenAI
client = OpenAI(
api_key="sk-...",
base_url="https://www.ruapi.ai/v1",
)
resp = client.chat.completions.create(
model="glm-5.3",
messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Hello"}],
)
print(resp.choices[0].message.content)A glm-5.3 request with the regular OpenAI SDK: your RuAPI key in place of sk-..., base_url set to https://www.ruapi.ai/v1. For high-volume tasks switch the model to glm-5.3-flash — it is about 10 times cheaper; IDs are case-sensitive: glm-5.3 in lower case, GLM-5.2 in upper case.
Why the GLM API is easier to connect from Russia through RuAPI
Z.ai bills its subscription to a card or PayPal.
According to the Z.ai help pages, the API balance is topped up on the Billing page, and the GLM Coding Plan subscription is charged to a linked bank card or PayPal. Visa and Mastercard cards issued by Russian banks have not worked abroad since March 2022, and PayPal is not available in Russia either. On RuAPI you top up in USDT or USDC from 5 USDT, and you can buy USDT with rubles via SBP following docs.ruapi.ai/en/buy-usdt.
glm-5.3 does not read images.
According to the Z.ai documentation, glm-5.3 currently accepts text input only. For screenshots, diagrams and mock-ups RuAPI offers GLM-5V-Turbo, the Z.ai multimodal coding model. It works with the same key: change the model field and add the image (URL or base64) to the message, as described in docs.ruapi.ai/en/vision.
One key for GLM and other models.
With one RuAPI key you can test glm-5.3 against deepseek-v4-pro, kimi-k3.1-pro or Claude on your own tasks — only the model field changes, and spending for every model sits in one Console log. In Cline, Kilo Code and OpenCode, glm-5.3 connects through an OpenAI-compatible provider, and the RuAPI docs have a guide for each of these tools.
How to connect the GLM API: 3 steps
The key is issued by RuAPI: your GLM requests go through RuAPI over the OpenAI-compatible protocol. You need neither a Z.ai account nor a foreign card.
Sign up and top up
Sign up at www.ruapi.ai with email, Google or Yandex — no phone number needed. GLM models work after your first top-up: the $0.05 trial that new accounts usually get right away only covers claude-haiku-5-5, deepseek-flash and gpt-6-luna.
Top up in USDT (TRC20, BEP20, TON, Polygon) or USDC (TRC20, BEP20, Polygon) from 5 USDT, or with a foreign-issued card. Russian cards and rubles are not accepted directly — buy USDT with rubles via SBP: docs.ruapi.ai/en/buy-usdt
Create a key
In the Console, open API Keys and click "Create API key". The key works with all five GLM models and with the rest of the catalogue. If the key is for an agent in your editor, give it a spending limit.
Pick a GLM model and send a request
- Python, Node.js or cURL: base_url https://www.ruapi.ai/v1 and model glm-5.3 — a ready example is at the top of this page.
- Simple high-volume tasks (classification, short answers): model glm-5.3-flash.
- Screenshots, diagrams, photos: model GLM-5V-Turbo, with the image as a URL or base64 in the same message: docs.ruapi.ai/en/vision
- Cline: the OpenAI Compatible provider; Kilo Code: a Custom provider with Provider API "OpenAI Compatible". Address https://www.ruapi.ai/v1, model glm-5.3 — docs.ruapi.ai/en/integrations/cline and docs.ruapi.ai/en/integrations/kilo-code
- OpenCode: a custom OpenAI-compatible provider in opencode.json with the glm-5.3 model — docs.ruapi.ai/en/integrations/opencode
How to send images to GLM-5V-Turbo — docs.ruapi.ai/en/vision
GLM API: address, model IDs and payment
API address
base_url: https://www.ruapi.ai/v1
format: OpenAI Chat Completions
key: sk-... from the RuAPI Console
GLM model IDs
glm-5.3 · glm-5.3-flash
GLM-5.2 · GLM-5-Turbo
GLM-5V-Turbo — with images
Payment
USDT / USDC, from 5 USDT
rubles → USDT via SBP
no subscription — tokens only
GLM API pricing on RuAPI
Five GLM models plus deepseek-flash for comparison — in USD per 1M tokens, from the pricing page; the table updates along with it. You pay only for tokens, with no subscription fee.
| model | input $/M | output $/M |
|---|---|---|
| glm-5.3 | $1.44 cache read $0.36 | $5.02 |
| glm-5.3-flash | $0.14 cache read $0.0420 | $0.50 |
| GLM-5-Turbo | $1.44 cache read $0.29 | $4.80 |
| GLM-5V-Turbo | $1.44 cache read $0.29 | $4.80 |
| GLM-5.2 | $1.68 | $5.28 |
| deepseek-flash | $0.17 cache read $0.0120 | $1.44 |
Columns: input is new input tokens, “cache read” is the repeated start of a prompt served from the cache, output is the model reply. GLM-5.2 has no separate cache-read price and costs more than glm-5.3, so glm-5.3 is the better value for new projects. deepseek-flash is included as a low-cost model that already works on the trial balance.
GLM via RuAPI vs. directly on Z.ai
| GLM via RuAPI | Z.ai directly | |
|---|---|---|
| Paying from Russia | USDT or USDC from 5 USDT — USDT can be bought with rubles via SBP; a foreign-issued card works too | API balance on the Billing page; the GLM Coding Plan subscription is charged to a linked bank card or PayPal |
| API address | https://www.ruapi.ai/v1, OpenAI-compatible | https://api.z.ai/api/paas/v4/, OpenAI-compatible |
| Models on one key | GLM, Claude, GPT, Gemini, DeepSeek, Qwen, Kimi, MiniMax | Z.ai models only |
Z.ai details are from the docs.z.ai documentation (Quick Start, GLM Coding Plan FAQ, model pages, pricing and release notes), checked on 01.11.2026. Visa, Mastercard and PayPal suspended operations in Russia in March 2022.