Russian Media Landscape

SOCIAL NETWORKS

In Russia and in other parts of the world, social media is a key platform for brand communication with their audiences and content distribution. In March 2022, the activities in Instagram and Facebook, owned by Meta Platforms Inc., were recognized as extremist. These social media channels were officially banned in Russia. YouTube video hosting has been operating with restrictions since summer of 2024. The main social network for B2B communications, Linkedin, has been blocked in Russia since 2016, and the X platform (ex. Twitter) is no longer available in Russia since 2022. Until recently, the content of these social media channels was accessible through VPN. In 2024, VPN was banned as well. Most of these services are already blocked in Russia, so the audience reach and engagement in these social media channels are constantly declining. All these aspects boosted the development of local platforms that took over the space from the Western competitors.