Influencer Marketing in Russia

Telegram is not just a messenger, but it has become a media phenomenon in Russia. The platform hosts influencers, media, and niche communities, making it a key digital space for both users and advertisers.

Yandex Music is Russia’s music streaming service, offering a library of tracks and personalized recommendations. Integrated with other Yandex products, it remains a convenient choice for Russian users.

VK Music is a streaming service built into VK, Russia’s largest social network. It offers frequent releases from Russian artists, making it a top choice for local music fans.

OK Music is a streaming service for users of Odnoklassniki. It allows listening within the platform, featuring online radio and themed playlists.

Yandex Music, part of Yandex’s ecosystem, offers users access to podcasts and audiobooks in Russian. The platform hosts thousands of podcasts, covering topics like society, culture, science, and business.

VK Music features a vast catalog of podcasts, categorized by themes and editors’ picks. Users can conveniently listen without leaving VK, making it a seamless platform for discovering audio content.

Apple Music offers a global selection of podcasts, allowing Russian users to listen to international shows in the original language. The platform provides diverse content across various genres, from business to entertainment.

Part of the YouTube Musiс, YouTube Podcasts is popular among Russian users for listening to audio. Video podcasts are also widely watched on YouTube, with humor and business being the most in-demand topics. 

As Russia’s top video platform, YouTube saw its speed throttled in 2024, making it inaccessible without a VPN. However, users continue to actively consume content across music, gaming, and entertainment.

Rutube is a Russian video platform. It offers a wide selection of content, including foreign movies and TV shows, making it a key alternative after YouTube’s slowdown in Russia.

With YouTube only accessible via VPN in Russia, VK Video has become the go-to platform for users without one. It provides movies and video content from VK bloggers.

Kinopoisk is Russia’s top platform for movie and TV enthusiasts. It offers reviews, ratings, and critiques from both users and film critics, along with a streaming service for watching films and series.

IVI is a leading online cinema in Russia, offering a vast library of domestic and international films and series. Users can stream in high quality on Smart TVs, mobile devices, and gaming consoles.

OKKO is a Russian online cinema known for high-quality streaming and exclusive Russian content. The platform provides movies, series, and sports broadcasts with a subscription-based model and no ads.

Wink is a Russian online cinema offering movies, series, and TV channels on-demand. Available by subscription or pay-per-view, it features both Russian and international content.

Apple TV provides subscriptions for Apple TV+ originals or pay-per-view movies and series. Many Russians watch content on this platform in the English language to enjoy authentic performances.

Twitch is the leading streaming platform for Russian gamers. Viewers watch live streams of top Russian-speaking players, game walkthroughs, and esports tournaments. Gamers actively engage in live chat.

YouTube remains a top platform for gaming content in Russia, where gaming bloggers dominate local rankings. Viewers watch streams of top Russian players, game reviews, and esports events.

Discord remains a top platform for Russian gamers, accessible only via VPN. It hosts themed servers where users share experiences and test new game releases and demos from community admins.

VK Play is Russia’s largest gaming platform, combining a digital game store and streaming. With 75M users in Russia, it attracts gamers with frequent releases of both Russian and international titles.

Over 95% of Russian gamers have a Steam account, though direct payments are blocked. Players buy games by changing their payment region, using mobile operators, intermediaries, or global activation keys.

Epic Games Store remains one of Russia’s leading platforms for buying PC games. Some foreign developers have imposed restrictions, but for blocked games, players use alternative payment methods.

VK Play offers a vast library of PC games, including Russian and international titles. Players can buy, download, or stream games via cloud gaming, and the platform also hosts esports tournaments.

Wildberries is Russia’s largest online marketplace, offering a vast selection of products. Its fast delivery is supported by a nationwide network of pickup points, making it the top choice for shoppers.

Ozon is Russia’s second-largest marketplace after Wildberries. Many Russians choose it when it offers lower prices than competitors. Ozon also presents in most CIS countries.

Yandex Market is Russia’s third-largest marketplace. Unlike Wildberries and Ozon, it lets users first choose a product and then compare prices from different sellers within a single product page.

Sber Mega Market is a marketplace from Russia’s bank Sberbank. Most users are his clients, as the platform offers the Sber Spasibo program. It provides exclusive discounts when paying with a Sberbank card.

Otzovik is a Russian review platform where users share opinions on products, and more. Brand representatives actively resolve customer issues by responding directly to negative reviews inside the platform.

iRecommend.ru is a Russian platform for product and service reviews across categories like beauty, health, and technology. Many consumers rely on its feedback before making a purchase.

Biglion is Russia’s largest coupon platform, providing discounts on products and offline and online services, where users purchase coupons to save money. The service operates in many cities across Russia.

 Frendi features daily hot deals, discounts on restaurants, travel across Russia, and various products. Users can buy exclusive offers, with some discounts reaching up to 90% in select categories.

Avito is Russia’s top platform for publishing private classifieds. Users buy and sell new or used goods, offer services, and post job listings. The site covers everything from auto to local services.

Youla is a Russian classifieds platform, focused on second-hand goods and part-time jobs. As a VK project, it requires a VK account for posting ads and purchases.

FarPost is used across Russia but is most popular in the Far East. It features listings for vehicles, real estate, jobs, and services, playing a key role in local markets and specialized industries.

Focusing on international real estate, Tranio.ru features residential and commercial properties across the world. The platform specializes in investments, providing market insights and legal guidance.

Prian.ru is a top Russian platform for buying real estate, covering 68 countries. It offers a catalog of properties with detailed listings, helping Russian buyers navigate the international market.

Cian.ru is a Russian real estate platform, mainly for domestic properties, but also includes international listings. It helps users explore overseas options, though its focus remains on Russia.

Yandex Travel allows users book flights, hotels, and tours. It offers bonuses and cashback in the Plus Yandex ecosystem's points. Popular destinations include locations within Russia, Turkey, and Kazakhstan.

Ostrovok became popular after Booking and Airbnb stopped accepting Russian bank cards. The platform offers hotel bookings in Russia and abroad, providing a convenient alternative for travelers.

Aviasales is Russia’s top flight booking platform, aggregating offers from airlines, including international ones. It accepts Russian bank cards for convenience. The service is also widely used across the CIS.

Russians continue using Google, as it remains the default search engine on many devices. However, Yandex is gaining traction with faster updates on maps and other services, making it more convenient locally.

As Google’s competitor in Russia, Yandex has gained dominance recently. While Google previously led in search, Yandex now holds the majority share, processing a major part of search queries in the country.

 NashStore is a Russian app store designed for Android users as an alternative to Google Play. It hosts local apps, though some global apps are unavailable. Payments work with Russian bank cards.

AppGallery is Huawei’s official app store and a key alternative in Russia, as Google Play is less convenient on Huawei devices. It hosts popular local apps, though some global services require APK downloads.

RuStore has always been Russia's local mobile app market. After some apps were removed from the AppStore and GooglePlay, businesses added all the essential apps there. Now, it has 50M users and 50K apps.

iPhones are widely used in Russia, keeping the AppStore a top marketplace. Payments now go through external systems like MTS and Beeline, as Apple’s standard methods remain restricted.

Google Play remains Russia’s top app marketplace, with Android holding over 70% of mobile traffic. Payments require workarounds like Plati.Market or foreign cards via VPN, as Russian cards remain unsupported.

2GIS is an alternative to Google Maps, combining navigation with a Yellow Pages. The service operates in Russia and several CIS countries, helping users navigate cities and explore local businesses.

Yandex Maps has become the main alternative to Google Maps in Russia. Integrated with Yandex Go, it provides navigation, taxi services, and delivery, making it a convenient all-in-one solution for users.

Telegram has become a media phenomenon in Russia. If only viewed as a messaging app, Telegram allows private and group chats, voice and video calls, file sharing, channels for news and discussions.

Initially used for personal chats, WhatsApp remains popular for private messaging but has also become important for local businesses. Business accounts enable automated replies and customer mailings.

Telegram is not just a messenger, but it has become a media phenomenon in Russia. The platform hosts influencers, media, and niche communities, making it a key digital space for both users and advertisers.

Despite being officially blocked in Russia and accessible only via VPNs, Instagram remains the most popular social media platform among modern Russian consumers.

VK is a Russian local social network and was an alternative to Facebook. It offers a messenger, communication with friends, music streaming, videos, short clips, and communities.

As Russia’s top video platform, YouTube saw its speed throttled in 2024, making it inaccessible without a VPN. However, users continue to actively consume content across music, gaming, and entertainment.

Tenchat is Russia’s alternative to LinkedIn, tailored for the B2B market. It helps entrepreneurs and businesses network, share expertise, and build brand reputation through top managers' accounts.

Likee is a short-video platform popular in Russia, similar to TikTok. Users create and watch content with effects, filters, and music. It attracts a young audience, serving as a hub for entertainment.

Designed as a TikTok alternative, Yappy! caters to young creators, especially musicians. The platform encourages self-expression, collaboration, and participation in challenges with popular Russian artists.