Tightening security and an escalating internet crackdown are costing Telegram its Russian users, who are now turning to Korean messaging app KakaoTalk. As Russian authorities restrict Telegram and mandate state-approved alternatives such as Max, users are seeking refuge in foreign platforms. Russian daily newspaper Kommersant on April 13 reported that KakaoTalk’s active Russian users reached 436,400 in March, an 82 percent surge from the previous month. This figure represents 8.7 percent of KakaoTalk’s global overseas monthly active users as of the fourth quarter of 2025. The shift occurs as Telegram’s security protocols face critical vulnerabilities. Digital forensic technology can now restore deleted messages from confiscated mobile phones, bypassing Telegram’s automatic deletion and encryption features. Cellebrite, a forensic firm supplying Korean investigative agencies, said last year that “encrypted messages of Telegram, Signal, WhatsApp, etc. can be identified through artificial intelligence-based tools.” Multiple studies have also successfully restored Telegram messages from
Russia built global recruitment pipeline targeting vulnerable migrants for Ukraine war: report
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