Every new study of Russia's advertising market over the past year records the same conclusion: the market is growing, but the structure of this growth is changing faster than the numbers themselves. By the end of 2025, the volume of the Russian advertising market exceeded 1.9 trillion rubles including e-commerce and retail media—a 35% year-over-year increase. Let's break down what drove the market's growth and where it's headed in 2026.
What's Driving the Growth
The largest market segment is internet services: contextual and targeted advertising on platforms like Yandex, VK, and similar properties. According to ACAR data, this segment accounted for approximately 510 billion rubles in 2025—a 9% increase from the previous year. Retail media is growing particularly fast: ad placements within marketplaces and e-commerce platforms reached 224 billion rubles—up 40% year-over-year, with another 35–40% growth projected for 2026.
What Happened in Early 2026
According to the Association of Communication Agencies of Russia (ACAR), in Q1 2026 the advertising market volume reached 220 billion rubles—a 5% increase compared to the same period last year. The internet services segment showed the most notable growth: investments reached 117–118 billion rubles, 8% more than a year earlier. This is slower than the explosive growth of 2025, but still represents solid positive momentum.
The market isn't shrinking—it's restructuring: advertising budgets are shifting toward channels where results can be accurately measured.
Forecast for All of 2026
Different methodologies yield different ranges: for the media market as a whole (ACAR methodology), analysts expect 6–15% growth, bringing the market to 1.0–1.15 trillion rubles excluding e-commerce. For the digital market in the narrow sense (ARИР methodology), online advertising could reach 1.8–2.0 trillion rubles if current retail media growth rates continue. The discrepancy in numbers isn't an error, but rather reflects how different associations calculate e-commerce advertising and retail media differently: whether to include them in "classic" advertising or not.
What This Means for Brands
The main practical takeaway from any recent advertising market study: money goes where effectiveness is measurable—retail media and performance advertising are growing faster than traditional media precisely because they show a direct link between spending and sales. This is also a signal for influencer marketing: agencies and brands that can demonstrate end-to-end analytics from blogger placements to sales earn more trust and budget than those selling "just reach."
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