"The Turkish app BiP posted the largest gain among established platforms, with its monthly active audience climbing 105 percent to 1.68 million users. South Korea's KakaoTalk grew by 82 percent, to 436,400 users. China's WeChat added 15 percent, reaching 1.15 million active users in Russia."
"The fastest growth of all belonged to Telega, an unofficial Telegram client, whose monthly active audience jumped 160 percent to nearly 7.5 million users, MTS AdTech said. In early April, Telega was removed from the App Store after its security certificates were revoked."
"Telegram's overall audience in Russia declined only slightly despite the restrictions - by 1.5 percent in the first quarter of 2026 compared with the fourth quarter of 2025, Kommersant reported. The app retained its position as the leading platform in Russia, with a monthly active audience of 102 million users."
"Users in Russia began experiencing disruptions to Telegram in early March. Sources at several outlets reported that the app was set to be fully blocked in Russia starting April 1."
In March, Asian messaging apps saw a surge in popularity in Russia due to restrictions on Telegram. Monthly active users increased by an average of 60%. BiP gained 105% to 1.68 million users, while KakaoTalk grew by 82% to 436,400 users. WeChat's user base rose by 15% to 1.15 million. Telega, an unofficial Telegram client, experienced the most significant growth at 160%, reaching nearly 7.5 million users. Despite these changes, Telegram's audience only slightly declined by 1.5%, maintaining its status as the leading platform in Russia with 102 million users.
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