Russians flock to South Korean app after Kremlin restricts Telegram access

KakaoTalk rose to second place in the ranking of most popular social networks in Russia’s App Store, trailing only the state-backed messenger MAX. On RuStore, Russia’s domestic app marketplace, KakaoTalk has been downloaded about 10,000 times.

Google Trends data show a marked increase in demand for KakaoTalk in recent months, and the app has for the first time entered the top 500 free apps across all categories in Russia.

The app’s interface is translated into Russian, allowing use without knowledge of Korean.

KakaoTalk was launched in 2010. More than 90% of phone owners in South Korea use it, and worldwide downloads exceed 150 million. The messenger offers standard features including text messaging, image and sticker sharing, group chats, channels, and voice and video calls.

Since March 5, Russian authorities have restricted mobile communications in Moscow. Operators were ordered to limit mobile data in certain districts; they said tests of a full network shutdown took place in the city center on March 5–6. Similar restrictions were reported in St. Petersburg.

According to Downdetector, Telegram nearly stopped working across Russia on March 16, with both the mobile app and web version affected.

Roskomnadzor, Russia’s communications regulator, has said Telegram “does not comply with Russian law” and that its access will be progressively restricted. In February, connectivity in Telegram already deteriorated, prompting alarm on pro-Kremlin channels as Russian troops in Ukraine reported they could no longer use the app to communicate.

Telegram founder Pavel Durov said Russian authorities were trying to “force their citizens to switch to a state app created for surveillance and political censorship.” He was referring to the so-called “national messenger” MAX, which, he says, is fully controlled by Russian security services.