Russia to have its own photo-sharing app 'Rossgram' as replacement for Instagram

Russian tech entrepreneurs has launched a photo-sharing app 'Rossgram to fill the void of Instagram. According to the Reuters news agency, amid the war with Ukraine, Russia has decided to launch Rossgram, a replacement of Instagram on March 28. The website of Rossgram claims that the app will have additional features such as crowdfunding and paid access for some content. For many small Russian businesses, Instagram was a key platform for advertising, processing sales, and communicating with clients. 

Russian state communications regulator Roskomnadzor blocked access to Instagram this week after its US owner Meta( Facebook) said it would allow social media users in Ukraine to post messages such as "Death to the Russian invaders". Russia, which has already banned Facebook, has opened a criminal investigation against Meta and prosecutors asked a court to designate the U.S. tech giant an "extremist organisation". The case is due in court on Monday. "My partner Kirill Filimonov and our group of developers were already ready for this turn of events and decided not to miss the opportunity to create a Russian analogue of a popular social network beloved by our compatriots," Alexander Zobov, the initiative's public relations director, wrote on the VKontakte social network. According to a photo shared by Zobov on Vkontakte, Rossgram's colour scheme and layout will bear a strong resemblance to Instagram.