Telegram Surpasses WhatsApp to Become Russia’s Top Messenger: Megafon

Telegram Surpasses WhatsApp to Become Russia’s Top Messenger: Megafon
A 3D printed Telegram logo is placed on a computer motherboard in a photo illustration taken on Jan. 21, 2021. Dado Ruvic/Reuters
Reuters
Updated:

Telegram has overtaken WhatsApp to become Russia’s most popular messaging tool, the mobile operator Megafon said on Monday, with Russians flocking to the service as Moscow restricts some digital services.

WhatsApp owner Meta Platforms Inc. is embroiled in a Russian court case, with prosecutors seeking to label it an “extremist organisation”, and authorities have actively promoted Telegram as they have banned other foreign platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.