Following Russia’s ban on Instagram advertising implemented in September 2025, about 32% of brand audiences have migrated to Telegram, according to a September study by Getblogger, an MTS AdTech company. The total advertising budget redirected to other platforms between September and October reached 1.2 billion rubles. 

Besides Telegram, 25% of audiences moved to VK, 20% to YouTube, 11% to Rutube, and 7% to TikTok, with many users engaging on multiple platforms. Aida Saidova, Insights Director at Igronik Group, predicts that by 2026 Telegram and VK will strengthen as primary communication channels in Russia, while Instagram’s share will drop to 5-7%. 

Industry experts attribute the decline partly to a decreased interest in influencers, with over 20% of users having unfollowed bloggers due to content fatigue and excessive advertising. This trend represents major shifts in the Russian digital marketing landscape.

source: freepik

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