Telegram becomes Russia’s most popular messenger

In January 2026, Telegram overtook WhatsApp to become the most popular messaging app in Russia, according to statistics cited by Forbes from Okkam and Mediascope.

Mediascope confirmed the change, tracking users over the age of 12 who accessed the mobile or desktop versions of the apps at least once during the month. In January, Telegram had 95.978 million users in Russia, compared with 89.418 million for WhatsApp and 73.728 million for domestic messenger Max.

In February, Telegram’s audience slightly declined by 286,000 to 95.692 million, WhatsApp fell by 9.1 million to 80.301 million, while Max grew to 77.561 million users. In December 2025, WhatsApp was still the leader with 94.47 million users, while Telegram had 93.637 million.

The decline in foreign apps like WhatsApp and Telegram is partly attributed to regulatory actions by Roskomnadzor, including a full block of WhatsApp and throttling of Telegram, following earlier bans on Signal, Discord, and Viber. While these measures have not yet significantly affected Telegram’s advertising effectiveness, experts told Forbes that continued restrictions could reshape the Russian messenger market.

As WhatsApp users migrate to Telegram, domestic app Max is gaining momentum and could potentially reclaim the top spot if stricter measures are applied to Telegram in the coming months.