MOSCOW, March 22 — Telegram has surpassed WhatsApp to become Russia’s top messaging application, Anadolu Agency (AA) quoted the mobile operator Megafon on Monday.
Megafon said the use of Telegram in Russia has increased rapidly since Feb 24, when Russia launched a “war” in Ukraine.
The share of Telegram in the total messaging traffic rose from 43 per cent to 63 per cent in the first two weeks of March.
WhatsApp’s share, meanwhile, dropped from 48 per cent to 32 per cent in the same period.
Earlier, Meta, which is the parent company of WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook, announced that it would allow violent messages against Russians supporting the war in Ukraine and Russian soldiers participating in the war.
Following this development, access to Instagram and Facebook has been banned in Russia.
Sources: BERNAMA