Yandex Direct, the ad platform of Russia’s largest search engine, can place ads inside Telegram channels connected to the Yandex Advertising Network (RSYa): the ad goes out as a regular post published by the channel, marked as advertising, and is deleted automatically after 48 hours. There are two ways to buy it: pay per click with automatic channel selection through a Unified Performance Campaign, or pay per view with manual channel selection through a reach campaign. This is a separate Yandex product aimed mainly at Russian-speaking audiences, unrelated to Telegram’s official ad platform, Telegram Ads.
How Telegram ads via Yandex Direct work
Channel owners connect their channels to RSYa and add a Yandex bot as an administrator, and Direct then publishes advertisers’ posts in them. Testing began in July 2023, the tool went into open beta in November 2023 and, according to a Habr article (February 2026), it left beta on 11 November 2025. According to Yandex, as of 1 July 2025, 14,000 Telegram channels worked with RSYa, and over two years about 25,000 advertisers had used the format, most often in real estate, cars and education.
Key features of these placements:
- Native look. The post is published on behalf of the channel, looks like a regular post and is marked as an ad.
- 48-hour lifespan. After that, the post is deleted automatically.
- Everyone sees it. Unlike Telegram Ads, these posts are also visible to Telegram Premium subscribers.
- Public and private channels. Since September 2024, private invite-only channels can also join RSYa.
- Automatic labeling. Yandex assigns each ad a token for Russia’s ad register ERIR, as required by Russian law.
Two ways to launch: pay per click or pay per view
| Parameter | Unified Performance Campaign, “Telegram channels” placement | Reach campaign, “Telegram post” |
|---|---|---|
| Payment | per click | per actual view (CPM) |
| Channel selection | automatic, by topic and geography | manual, from a catalog |
| Who sets the price | auction, advertiser’s bid | the channel owner sets their own CPM |
| What you see about the channel | you can exclude unwanted channels | name, audience, ERR, cost per view |
| Duration | as long as there is budget | a period of up to two weeks; the post runs once |
In the reach model, according to ppc.world (July 2025), Direct forecasts views and budget for each channel in advance. If the final cost exceeds the forecast, Direct covers the difference, so the advertiser pays no more than the amount set at launch. A view is counted only if the user actually saw the post rather than scrolling past it.
Don’t confuse these placements with the “Telegram channel subscribers” format in the Campaign Wizard. According to Yandex Help, it shows ads in search and ad networks, and a click leads to a promo page built from your post and from there to the channel. That format does not publish anything inside Telegram channels.
How to launch a campaign: step by step
Through a Unified Performance Campaign (pay per click):
- Create a Unified Performance Campaign in Direct in expert mode.
- Under placements, select “Telegram channels”. It cannot be combined with other campaigns in a package strategy.
- Set channel topics and geography, a weekly budget and a maximum cost per click.
- Build the ad: headline, text, images or video, button and link.
- Submit it for moderation and, if needed, exclude unsuitable channels through Brand Safety settings.
Through a reach campaign (pay per view), according to ppc.world:
- Open reach campaigns in Direct Pro and click “Telegram post”.
- Choose channels from the catalog by comparing audience, ERR and cost per view.
- Add a link: a website, an app or your own Telegram channel.
- Set the placement period, up to two weeks, and submit the post for moderation.
If you are sending traffic to your own channel, prepare it first: description, pinned post, first posts. See how to prepare a channel for ads.
Ad format
Unlike the 160-character Telegram Ads message, here you get a full post. According to the Habr article (February 2026), an ad includes:
- Headline: up to 56 characters.
- Text: up to 764 characters.
- Images: up to 10, or a video.
- A button with a call to action and a link.
Since April 2024, Unified Performance Campaign ads can use emoji from Yandex’s set (up to 5 per ad). Moderation checks the text against Direct’s rules; some topics are prohibited, such as alcohol, tobacco and certain medicines.
Targeting and geography
In the pay-per-click model, channels are matched by topic: previously you had to choose at least three, but according to Habr as of February 2026, one is enough. Bid adjustments by gender, age and income are available, but they apply to the channel’s audience as a whole, not to individual users.
According to the same article, placements are available in Russia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Turkey, with Belarus in beta. Geotargeting is not strict: an ad can appear in a channel if most of its subscribers are in the selected region. You can exclude unwanted channels.
How much Telegram ads via Yandex Direct cost
There is no public price list: the price depends on the auction or on the CPM set by the channel owner. Reference points from public sources:
- Minimum cost per click: 30 RUB; Yandex raised the maximum bid from 300 RUB to 25,000 RUB (Habr, February 2026).
- Typical cost per click: 30 to 300 RUB depending on the niche, according to Kokoc (June 2026); B2B, IT and finance are more expensive.
- Pay per view: at the channel’s CPM, which you see in the catalog before launch.
- Budget: weekly, set by the advertiser; sources don’t state a minimum budget.
You pay in rubles from your Direct balance, with no euro deposit. For prices on the official platform, see how much Telegram Ads costs.
Yandex Direct or Telegram Ads: which to choose
| Parameter | Yandex Direct (RSYa) | Telegram Ads |
|---|---|---|
| Format | full post in the feed, up to 764 characters and up to 10 images | message of up to 160 characters below the latest posts |
| Placements | only channels connected to RSYa | all public channels with 1,000+ subscribers, bots, search |
| Pricing model | per click or per view | per 1,000 impressions |
| Premium subscribers | see the post | don’t see ads |
| Payment | rubles from the Direct balance | euros via a reseller (usually from €250–500), TON or Stars |
| Labeling (Russia) | automatic | usually done by the reseller |
Direct makes sense if you already use it and want to test Telegram in rubles with pay-per-click. Telegram Ads offers more placements and precise channel selection within one campaign. Learn more about the official platform in what is Telegram Ads, and about buying posts manually in Telegram Ads vs channel ad buys.
Pros, cons and limitations
Pros: payment in rubles, the familiar Direct interface, a native post format, reach among Premium subscribers and automatic labeling. Cons: a limited pool of channels, weak subscriber analytics (you have to count joins through separate invite links), and launch can take several days. The author of the Habr article wrote in February 2026 that in his tests B2B campaigns did not reach an acceptable cost per lead, and clicks in Moscow were expensive.
Also keep the regulatory background in mind. Since March 2026, Russia’s antimonopoly regulator FAS has considered advertising on Telegram a violation because of Roskomnadzor’s restrictions, but it is not applying liability until the end of 2026. RSYa told clients in a letter on 25 March 2026 that it was operating as usual. See is Telegram advertising legal in Russia. Measure results with the metrics from our Telegram Ads metrics guide: cost per subscriber and per lead matter more than cost per click.
FAQ
Is this the same as Telegram Ads?
No. Telegram Ads is Telegram’s official ad platform, with messages of up to 160 characters below the latest posts. Yandex Direct publishes full posts in channels connected to the Yandex Advertising Network under Yandex’s agreements with their owners.
Can I choose specific channels?
Yes, in a pay-per-view reach campaign you pick channels manually from a catalog. In a pay-per-click Unified Performance Campaign, channels are matched automatically by topic, but you can exclude unwanted ones.
How long does an ad post stay up?
48 hours, after which it is deleted automatically. In the reach model, the post runs in a channel once during the selected period.
Do I need to label these ads myself?
No, Yandex labels ads automatically and assigns a token for ERIR, Russia’s ad register. The advertiser only needs to fill in their details correctly in the account.
How do I track subscribers from Yandex Direct?
Create a separate invite link for each campaign and check the number of joins in the channel’s statistics. Telegram doesn’t show UTM tags, so they are only useful when traffic goes through a website or promo page.
Can I use Yandex Direct to promote my own Telegram channel?
Yes. In a reach campaign the link can be your channel, and the “Telegram channel subscribers” format in the Campaign Wizard promotes a channel in Yandex search and networks via a promo page.
