Even though there is no law, there is punishment: Russian companies have frozen advertising on Telegram and YouTube

Although there is no law, there is punishment: Russian companies have frozen advertising on Telegram and YouTube

After the FAS raised concerns about ad placement violations on Telegram and YouTube, several major advertising groups quietly hit pause on campaigns — Telegram has felt the heaviest impact so far. Media Direction Group is already rerouting budgets to other channels. At Rodnaya Rech some clients have frozen activity outright; others are waiting for clarifications (no one wants to be the test case). OMD Resolution, however, says the picture is more muted: almost no campaigns pulled, only about 10–15% of clients asked to stop placements. NMi Digital’s take: better to suspend until the dust settles — though they haven’t seen direct advertiser orders to do so.

Experts warn the fallout could be large: roughly 70% of influencer marketing sits on the affected resources (≈40% Telegram, ≈30% YouTube). Yet, to date, none of these platforms appears on any official prohibited registry. Lawyers point out a mismatch between the FAS interpretation and how regulators have actually acted; if that interpretation is upheld, the ban might sweep in platforms that are only partly accessible (e.g., services with regional blocks), which would create a mess for planners and clients alike.