Telegram traffic in Russia decreased by 18% in one month
Telegram's mobile traffic in Russia fell by 18% in March, continuing a downward trend following a 10% decline the previous month. While desktop usage also dropped significantly, outgoing traffic surged as users migrated toward alternative platforms such as Max and the corporate messenger Pachka. Despite these shifts, Telegram remains the country's dominant platform with over 94 million monthly users, as founder Pavel Durov maintains his firm stance on prioritizing user privacy over government demands.
In March 2026, mobile traffic for the Telegram messenger in Russia decreased by 18 percent. In February, this figure also fell by 10 percent. This was reported by Ixbt.com reports.
The decline in the desktop version of the messenger was even more pronounced, amounting to 22 percent over one month.
At the same time, outgoing traffic increased by 66 percent. Experts explain this by users moving to external platforms and by advertising campaigns becoming more active ahead of the introduction of restrictions.
Against this backdrop, alternative services are showing growth: traffic for the Max messenger increased by more than 60 percent, and its daily number of users reached 80 million.
Russia's Telega and Pachka services, designed for corporate communications, are also growing in popularity. In particular, the number of companies using Pachka doubled in one month.
Despite this, Telegram remains the largest platform in the country, with a monthly audience of 94.3 million people.
Messenger founder Pavel Durov noted that it is better to leave the French market than to provide private correspondence to corrupt bureaucrats. He said he would continue to protect users' personal data privacy.
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