Russia has not stopped being news since it invaded Ukraine. But beyond the current war situation, the Internet scene in the country is quite interesting. Especially if it is about .
On this side of the world we are used to seeing platforms like Instagram, Facebook or Twitter are among the most used, but in Russia we get local platforms that may not be fully known to many in the world, but that still have millions of users, taking into account the enormous Russian population.
Although it must be remembered that recently, as a result of the conflict with Ukraine, Facebook and Twitter were censored by the Russian telecommunications regulatory body Roskomnadzor; this in response to the veto imposed by the European Union on the official media Russia Today and Sputnik. Likewise, Netflix, and TikTok announced the suspension of their operations in Russia as a protest against the military invasion of Ukrainian territory.
The most used social networks in Russia
Social networks, of course, have had a significant penetration on Russian soil, so these suspensions and blocks could give an idea of how it will affect users in that country. According to data from , in 2021, 37% of those surveyed in Russia claimed to use Facebook, while a 35% expressed being a TikTok user and only the 14% access Twitter regularly.
However, it is the local social network , known by its initials vk, which is still the most popular in this country, with 73% of respondents who expressed being users of it. However, this platform is escorted YouTube and Instagram, both of American origin, which were also quite popular among Russian users before the recent blocks, with 68% and 59%, respectively.
Currently, Vkontakte has more than 650 million registered usersand an estimate of 97 million active users per month. This wide range, together with its wide compatibility thanks to its proper interface in 85 different languageshave made it one of the most important websites in Russia.
Precisely this importance has raised for years a particular interest on the part of the Russian government in this growing social network. An interest that was consummated during 2021, with the nationalization of VK by the Kremlin.
Another very popular Russian social network there is considered to be the second most important social platform in Russia, which in 2021 ranked fourth overall among social networks: 42% of surveyed users claimed to have an account on it.
After Facebook and TikTok appears another Russian social network owned by the Russian Internet giant, Mail.ruwhich ranks as the third largest Russian social network after VK and (also owned by Mail.ru), with 13% of users.
Due to the suspension of Russian YouTube services, it is possible that , owned by Gazprom Media (the media arm of the state gas company Gazprom) and is seen as Russia’s answer to the video platform owned by Google, have in the near future a rebound in the consumption of users within its territory. However, restrictions at the censorship level could drive content creators away from said platform.
And in terms of instant messaging, one of the most popular in the world and that was created by Russians is Telegram. This platform, founded by the brothers Pavel and Nikolai Durov, It is quite used as WhatsApp, however, the Russian government banned it in the country in April 2018, later lifting the sanction in 2020.
As a result of the current situation in Ukraine, the founders of the instant messaging application have made it clear that Telegram is not Russian (it is based in Dubai) much less does it belong to the government of Vladimir Putinwhile alerting both its Russian and Ukrainian users to “distrust any information coming from the app’s information channels” from both countries, in the face of the spread of . “Check the data and do not take what is published on Telegram for good”, Pavel Durov has warned.
In any case, and as we said, with 38 million users, Telegram is not the main messaging app in Russia. As in other countries, that privileged position remains for .
Photo: Getty Images
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