Why Ads Left Instagram
Just a couple of years ago, Instagram was the main platform for influencer marketing in Russia. Today, it's spoken of in the past tense. Ad bans, blogger departures, legal uncertainty – all this led to a tectonic shift: as of May 2026, 67% of advertisers name Telegram as their priority platform for promotion. How and why did this upheaval happen, and what does it mean for the market? We explore this in this article.
Figures that explain everything: Telegram vs Instagram
Before discussing the reasons, we need to establish the fact of the shift itself. Data from late 2025 – early 2026 leaves no doubt: Telegram is confidently outperforming Instagram on all key metrics of advertising appeal.
After the Instagram ad ban in September 2025, advertising budgets in Telegram and YouTube tripled compared to the previous quarter. According to the Unified Register of Internet Advertising, the volume of placements in the banned social network decreased 64-fold in September and October.
The share of advertising budgets allocated to Telegram increased from 15 to 25% after the Instagram ad ban. The volume of the influencer marketing market in 2025 amounted to 60 billion rubles, of which 18 billion came from Telegram.
Between February and April 2026, the average price of an advertising post in Telegram decreased by 17%, and the cost per click by 10%. At the same time, the average click-through rate (CTR) remained at 0.21% — the same as before February 2026. This means that advertising in Telegram became cheaper, but no less effective.
Reason 1. Instagram ad ban: the point of no return
Since September 1, 2025, any promotion on Instagram* has been prohibited under threat of a fine of up to 500 thousand rubles. This became the main trigger for the mass exodus of advertisers. Russian companies can no longer legally place ads on the banned social network, and this created a huge demand for alternative platforms.
According to research by the communication agency Social Stars, by the end of September 2025, 59% of Russian bloggers had already switched to Telegram, and another 22% planned to do so in the near future. According to the forecast of the Association of Bloggers and Agencies (ABA), up to 40–50% of the money previously spent on promotion on Instagram has flowed to Telegram.
It is noteworthy that the process of budget outflow began even before the law came into force, but after September 1 it became massive and irreversible.
Reason 2. Telegram proved to be a "ready alternative"
Instagram collapsed suddenly, but Telegram was ready for the impact. The platform possesses several key characteristics that made it an ideal refuge for advertising budgets.
Huge and active audience. Tens of millions of Russians use Telegram daily. Large channels gather an audience comparable to the circulation of federal media.
High engagement. The Telegram audience is not "dead souls." Users log into the messenger dozens of times a day, read channels, comment, and forward posts. Advertisers value this engagement.
Trust in the format. Native advertising in Telegram channels is perceived by the audience as a recommendation, not an annoying banner. Bloggers write posts "from themselves," integrating advertising into familiar content.
Scalability. Telegram's advertising network is constantly growing. Since February 2026, more than 3,000 new Telegram channels ready to place ads have joined the existing Yandex Advertising Network channels.
Reason 3. Yandex Direct made advertising on Telegram accessible
A key factor accelerating the shift of budgets was the development of tools for mass advertising placement in Telegram. Yandex Direct launched a new format – advertising posts in Telegram channels with payment per view.
How it works: The advertiser selects channels from a catalog where data on audience size, subscriber engagement, and cost per view are available. The system predicts potential views and budget, and payment is charged only for actual impressions.
What it gave the market: Advertisers gained a simple and transparent tool for placing ads in Telegram, which does not require direct negotiations with each blogger. This lowered the entry barrier and attracted small and medium-sized businesses.
Results: Marketplaces increased advertising spending through Direct on Telegram by 2.5 times, financial sector companies increased budgets by approximately 70%.
Reason 4. Economic efficiency: Telegram is cheaper and more predictable
Advertisers didn't just "flee" Instagram – they consciously chose Telegram because it's profitable.
Advertising costs are decreasing. From February to April 2026, the average cost of placing an advertising post in Telegram decreased by 17%, and the cost per click by 10%.
Payment-for-results model. Yandex's advertising network offers payment only for actual views and clicks. This reduces risks for the advertiser.
Transparent statistics. Data on CTR (0.21%), number of views, and link clicks are available – all allowing real-time effectiveness assessment.
For comparison: After the blocking, Instagram lost the ability for precise targeting for Russian advertisers. The audience "leaked" into VPNs, data became unavailable. Telegram, on the contrary, maintained transparency and predictability.
Reason 5. Legal purity: working legally
In 2026, businesses in Russia are more concerned than ever about legal security. Instagram* and Facebook* are prohibited organizations in the Russian Federation. Placing ads there is a violation of the law with the risk of fines up to 500 thousand rubles for legal entities.
Large companies with state participation, state corporations, banks – all instantly curtailed advertising on banned social networks as soon as the ban came into force.
Telegram, on the contrary, is a legal platform. Working with it carries no reputational or legal risks. For many advertisers, this became a decisive factor.
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