Strategic Overview for Brands: Top Russian Social Media Influencers

In 2023, a whopping 23% of advertisers in Russia utilized influencer marketing. This year, the number of advertisers using this strategy will skyrocket, with 33% planning to jump on board. By 2024, this segment will reach a 50-billion-ruble milestone, fueled by the growing interest in collaboration with bloggers and the increased effectiveness of such campaigns. 

At the present moment, Russian influencers are concentrated on the following media platforms: VKontakte, YouTube, and Telegram. This is down to the immense popularity of these social networks amongst users in Russia. In addition, well-known bloggers continue to be present on Instagram* and publish content there. However, their enthusiasm has decreased significantly compared to the time before 2022. 

Let's discuss this in further detail.
 

VKontakte: leaders and trendsetters

Many leaders and trendsetters have held their positions in the rating for quite a long time. We delved deeper into each person and the opportunities for promotion in this social network in our review, 'The Rise of VK Influencers: Marketing Insights and Trends for 2024'.

TikTok and YouTube blogger Vadim Spiridenkov is at the top of the Russian-speaking VK segment. Vadim started his career with short sketches in TikTok and quickly gained popularity in this niche.

Model, blogger, entrepreneur, and wife of rapper Dzhigan, Oksana Samoylova, is in second place. In addition to blogging, Oksana runs several offline projects, including a brand of women's clothing with showrooms in Moscow and St. Petersburg, a nanny agency, and a cosmetology clinic. Her accounts can also be found on Telegram and Instagram.

The third place goes to Lena Samchuk, the winner of the 'Best Blogger - 2022' nomination according to the Runet Awards. Lena and Vadim Spiridenkov gained popularity thanks to their humorous videos on TikTok, where they positioned themselves as everyday people.

Next, the spotlight shifted to the renowned YouTube bloggers. In 4th place is autoblogger, known on YouTube as Ildar-Autopodobor. Anya Ishchuk, a member of the blogger association Hype House in Russia, is in 6th place. Victoria Kasimova and Yan Dilan, who reads raps on topical issues in his videos, took the 8th place together, Masha and Robert | Thegerbers are 10th, Marmok is in 19th place, another TikTok star Lera_Danya took the 12th place.

The rating also includes celebrities who moved from Instagram to VK. These are blogger and TV presenter Valeria Chikalina, known as Lerchek (7th place), Russian rap singer, Egor Creed (9th place), standup comedian Victoria Skladchikova (11th place), streamer, creator, and owner of the soccer club 'Sakhalinets' and YouTube channel LITVIN (13th place), Russian singer MACAN (14th place). 15th place is occupied by Russian comedian, actor, and designer Arseniy Popov. In 16th place is Ukrainian and Russian singer Anna Dzyuba. At 17th place is SHAMAN, and a Russian video blogger, ticktocker, singer, and actress Valya Karnaval comes in at 18th place. Finally, 20th place is taken by Russian streamer and singer Amina Mirzoeva, known as Tenderlybae. Also, a popular YouTube blogger and singer Milana Khametova is on this list. She shares 17th place with SHAMAN.
 

Gamers at the TOP of Russian YouTube

The top 20 most influential video bloggers on YouTube are a community of letsplayers with a significant audience and influence in the sphere of online content. It is worth noting that all the bloggers presented are also successfully developing in other social networks, including VKontakte, Telegram, and TikTok. This makes them attractive for various advertising integrations.

Vlad Bumaga A4 is the undisputed champion of the YouTube world. The Belarusian video blogger, singer, and creator of the popular YouTube channels A4 and A5 is the clear choice for the top spot in the ranking of the Top 20 channels on YouTube in 2024. With his boundless creativity and knack for keeping viewers engaged, Vlad is a shining example of the best Russian-speaking YouTube has to offer. His impact is also felt across social media platforms like VKontakte and Telegram.

The second place went to the talented video blogger Dima Maslennikov. In his videos, you'll find everything from fascinating life hacks to exciting extreme videos. Ranked among the top 12 richest YouTube bloggers in Russia, Dima is not only creative but also an entrepreneur. His VKontakte and Telegram accounts are also in active operation.

Brian Maps, aka TheBrianMaps, is a brilliant representative of Russian-speaking YouTube, whose videos never cease to amaze and amuse viewers. With his unique sense of humor and talent as an impersonator, he has won a lot of fans. Thanks to his activity on social networks, including VKontakte and Telegram, his popularity continues to grow. He's currently in 3rd place. 

Traditionally letsplayers took places in the ranking: YouTube-famous Marmok (4th place), colorful video blogger, streamer, and letterplayer EdisonPts (5th place), Andrey Windy, Russian letsplayer on Minecraft and horror games, also known as windy31 (7th place), MrLololoshka (Roman Filchenkov) (8th place) with his videos dedicated to survival in Minecraft with mods. Kuplinov is in 10th place, Kompot is 13th, and Booster is 14th. 

The ranking also includes streamers and bloggers with other entertainment content. These include ExileShow, also known as the musician Exile (6th place), EGORIK, who became popular thanks to his scary quests and Challenges (9th place), AdamThomasMoran, a popular host of the Internet show '+100500' (11th place), GLENT (12th place), and Elena Reitman, a popular vlogger whose videos consist of humor content and her interactions with fake video bloggers (18th place).

The 15th and 17th places were taken by auto bloggers Ildar AUTO-PODBOR and Zhekich Dubrovsky, who is known for reviews of rare cars. 

The rating also includes Ivan Zaichenko, a popular cooking blogger. The last places were taken by channels for children - the 'Masha and the Bear' cartoon channel (19th place), which is watched by children all over the world, and the Lunomosik channel (20th place). Lunomosik is a family blogger who creates content with his family and children.

We wrote more about the reasons YouTube remains one of the most popular promotional tools in 'A Complete Russian YouTube Overview fok Marketers'.
 

Blogger Telegram channels in Russia

In 2022, messenger became a reserve platform for many bloggers, allowing them to continue their activities in case of possible restrictions or blocking in other social networks and VPNs. Now, the authors' Telegram channels are at the TOPs in Russia and successfully compete with the news publics.

The first name on the list is Ruzil Minekaev, a renowned Russian theater and film actor. His account is highly popular thanks to his role in the TV series 'The Boy’s Word: Blood On The Asphalt'. In second place is Litvin, a Russian video blogger and streamer on YouTube. He is the owner of the soccer club 'Sakhalinets', and his videos are among the most viewed in Russia. In third place is Dima Maslennikov, a successful entrepreneur who runs VK and YouTube accounts and is a popular video blogger, musician, and restaurateur.

The TOP includes some of the most popular YouTube letsplayers, streamers, and ticktockers such as Kuplinov (4th place), and br1anm7ps (Brian Maps) (5th place). Elena Reitman with her humorous content is in 7th place. Zubareff (Alexander Zubareff), a streamer and ticktocker with an original style of narration occupies 8th place. 9th place belongs to musician and streamer exilemusic Ilya Yatskevich13, while the a4omg account of Vlad Bumaga is 11th. EDISON FAMILY Minecraft blogger takes 12th place, a computer games streamer Bigpencil Buster is 13th. In 15th place, we have alezhao Alezha Obukhov, who shares vines and other funny videos. A streamer Paradeevich is in 17th place. 18th place is taken by a blogger and heroine of the "The Boy’s Word: Blood On The Asphalt" series  Anna Peresild.

The ranking also includes well-known YouTube tech bloggers: Wylsared (16th place) and Vlad Glent vladglenttg (19th place). Vlad Glent is also known for his YouTube channel's letsplays and challenges. 

In addition to Ruzil Minekaev, who headed the rating, the Top included his partner in the  'The Boy’s Word: Blood On The Asphalt'  series, Russian actor Leon Kemstach (6th place), and other famous personalities such as Nastya Ivleeva (10th place), Ksenia Borodina (14th place).

Onastasiz is rounding out the list of Top 20 bloggers on Telegram, known on YouTube as Anastasiz. Her account attracts subscribers' attention with her cosmetics reviews, personal stories, and participation in various projects.

TOP 20 influential bloggers in Telegram presents the accounts of bloggers who successfully promote on YouTube and Instagram, attract the attention of the audience, and form trends in the network. We wrote more about the specifics of promotion in Telegram here.
 

Russian celebrities on Instagram*

The largest influencers saw a 35% increase in advertising revenues over the past year. This indicates that the social media advertising market for bloggers, including Instagram*, has stabilized after a relatively unstable 2022. However, there has been a decrease in the activity of the authors themselves on the platform, with a 10.6% reduction in the number of publications. This has led to a double trend: an increase in advertising revenue and a decrease in publication activity. This is clear evidence that the Russian influencer marketing market is recovering, not just Instagram*.

Oksana Samoilova (1st place) and UFC mixed martial arts fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov (2nd place) remain the leaders of the top 20 Instagram* pages both in 2023 and 2024. Khabib's profile is full of impressive achievements in sports, as well as personal moments from life. The third line of the rating was taken by Russian video blogger Mikhail Litvin, who not only entertains his audience but also actively develops his business project, the Sakhalinets soccer club.

Other participants on the list are famous TV presenters, musicians, actors, and bloggers whose accounts are represented on various social networks - VK, YouTube, Telegram, and TikTok.

YouTube blogger Subo ranks 4th, TV presenter Ksenia Borodina - 5th, makeup artist Gohar Avetisyan - 6th, singer Egor Krid - 7th, popular YouTube blogger Bryan Maps - 8th, and Olga Buzova - 9th. Olga Buzova is on all media platforms, including the not-so-popular Russian social network Odnoklassniki. Valeria Chekalina (Lerchik) is the final member of the top 10.

The second top ten includes popular blogger Nadine Serovski, singer Klava Koka, actress Nastasia Samburskaya, TV presenter Victoria Bonya, video blogger Dimasblog, TV presenter and actress Elena Snezhina, known by her stage name Helen Yes. The 19th place was shared by Yerbolat Zhanabylov, a popular blogger from Kazakhstan, and Dina Sayeva, a model of Tajik origin. The last place went to Russian singer and blogger Alina Levda, who successfully maintains her accounts on YouTube, VK, Telegram, and TikTok. 

It is clear that many celebrities in Russia still publish their own content (including advertising). At the same time, they duplicate publications and maintain accounts on other social networks to be 'on the safe side'.

More information about Instagram after its blocking is here. 
 

Multichannel: An Effective Influencer Strategy for Brands

Analyzing the bloggers who made it to the top we see a multi-platform approach to content. They have activity on different media platforms at the same time. This demonstrates their need to expand their social media presence to maximize their audience reach. It is important for advertising integrations. For example, a partnership with a VKontakte blogger can be complemented by advertising on his Instagram* and YouTube pages, increasing brand visibility.

For instance, Kuplinov, a prominent YouTube blogger, letsplayer, and streamer, has published VKontakte advertisements for the Stroki book service. The same advertising publication can be found in his Telegram account. Both publications have garnered a significant number of views and reactions. This approach exemplifies the blogger's expert handling of these social networks. 

The VKontakte and Telegram ratings include many celebrities who started their careers on Instagram*, such as Oksana Samoilova, Olga Buzova, and Yegor Krid, which shows their success in transferring their audience and influence from one social platform to another. 

The most important thing the ratings show us is the variety of popular content. That is, success on social media is not limited to a specific genre or format. This gives the green light to customize advertising campaigns to suit different topics and audience interests. You can read our in-depth market analysis and key trends of Influencer Marketing in Russia and CIS in our special edition. 

RMAA will help you develop your advertising strategy and choose the right bloggers to achieve your goals in the Russian and CIS markets within the planned budget. We have our own database of influencers and extensive experience in promoting various products with the help of bloggers. Contact your RMAA manager for a consultation soon. 

Also, we encourage you to stay up to date with the latest developments. Subscribe to our blog for up-to-date information on marketing.

*Meta Platforms Inc. project, the activities of which are banned in Russia.

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