After Telegram was blocked, Russians began switching to these…
After Telegram was blocked, Russians began switching to these messengers. Users of the South Korean messenger KakaoTalk and the Turkish BiP reported work disruptions on the second day.
Consensus
- Russian users reported disruptions in the functionality of KakaoTalk and BiP.
- The issues include delayed or failed message delivery, slow or failed media uploads, and app instability.
- Both apps work normally when a VPN is used.
- The disruptions occurred after the de facto blocking of Telegram in early 2026.
- Users began switching to KakaoTalk and BiP as alternatives following Telegram's restriction.
- The number of users of both apps increased significantly in the second quarter of 2026.
Points of divergence
- The 'Теплица социальных технологий' researchers concluded that the uneven impact across different cities indicates targeted blocking, as opposed to a technical failure, and that only specific subdomains are blocked, not entire websites. — novaya_eu
- The monitoring project 'На Связи' concluded that KakaoTalk is being throttled (slowed down), while BiP is fully blocked, using different methods of restriction. — tg_theinsider
- The Federal Security Service (FSB) previously accused Telegram's founder Pavel Durov of aiding terrorism, citing the platform's use by Ukrainian special services for fraud and terrorist planning. — vm
- Downdetector recorded 'moderate' complaints for BiP (over 150) but only two complaints for KakaoTalk in one day. — tg_currenttime
- Downdetector does not register significant issues with KakaoTalk, unlike with BiP. — meduza
- The number of BiP users increased by 120% and KakaoTalk by 80% in Q2 2026, reaching 4.3 million and 1.26 million users respectively. — tg_istories_media
- Users criticized KakaoTalk for poor audio quality, image compression, and privacy concerns, and BiP for instability and limited functionality for Russian citizens. — tg_mash
Coverage (9 sources)
- Users in the Russian Federation complain about KakaoTalk and BiP messenger malfunctions. This could be a block — Новая газета Европа
- Russians complain about mass failure in messenger apps BiP and KakaoTalk — Вести
- Users reported KakaoTalk and BiP messenger outages that gained popularity after Telegram was blocked. Probably,… — The Insider
- Messaging apps KakaoTalk and BiP stopped working in Russia — Вечерняя Москва
- Users report issues with KakaoTalk and BiP apps in Russia as replacements for blocked messengers — Настоящее Время
- Users of BiP and KakaoTalk report outages for a second day; Russians switching after Telegram block — Важные истории
- В России, по словам пользователей, перестали работать мессенджеры KakaoTalk и BiP (стали популярны после блокировки телеграма) — Meduza
- Южнокорейский мессенджер KakaoTalk и турецкий BIP перестали работать в России. Пользователи сообщают, что сообщения, фот… — Mash
- Russian users report KakaoTalk malfunctions — Москва 24
Key entities
- Russia
- BiP
- Telegram
- Moscow
- Ostorozhno, Moscow
- Downdetector
- KakaoTalk
- Saint Petersburg
- Downreport
- Darya Myasina
- Novosibirsk
- Detector 404