KakaoTalk

Russian Users Report BiP and KakaoTalk Inaccessible Without VPN, Suspecting Roskomnadzor Filtering

Russian home users have started complaining about disruptions in BiP and KakaoTalk messenger services. Messages fail to send or receive without a VPN connection, but function normally once a VPN is enabled. The issue reportedly began three days ago and affects the author, relatives, and friends according to a Pikabu post. Beeline support denied any operator-side restrictions, and Roskomnadzor has issued no official statement on blocking the services. Similar reports have emerged from other users, including those in the Volga region, with the consistent symptom that direct connections fail while VPN routes succeed. No independent technical confirmation of traffic filtering exists yet, and complaints may relate to specific operators, regions, or service infrastructure. The pattern matches previous Russian experiences with content filtering, though official confirmation of any block on BiP or KakaoTalk remains absent.

Turkish BiP Messenger Audience in Russia Surges 650 Times in One Year Amid Foreign App Adoption

Russian users continue exploring foreign messaging services even as initial hype subsides. MTS AdTech data shows demand for overseas platforms rose 50 percent in the first quarter and 26 percent in the second. Turkish BiP emerged as the standout performer, with its Russian monthly active users climbing 120 percent from April to July to reach 4.3 million. This marks a dramatic increase from just 6,600 users a year earlier. South Korean KakaoTalk grew 80 percent to 1.26 million users, while WeChat rose 17 percent and Gem Space increased 11 percent. American Imo remains the largest foreign messenger with 12.2 million users but added only 1 percent over the quarter. Blocked services SimpleX and Discord saw declines of 41 percent and 8 percent respectively, while domestic platforms VKontakte, MAX and Telegram retain far larger audiences.