Since late 2020, Rutube has been owned by , a subsidiary of the state-backed energy giant Gazprom. This acquisition marked the beginning of heavy investment intended to make the platform a credible rival to Western services. According to reports from the Atlantic Council , Rutube is now part of a broader "techno-isolationism" trend within Russia. Content and Ecosystem
: Viewers spent approximately 1.9 billion hours on the platform, with views increasing by nearly 20%. rutube
: The number of content creators on Rutube jumped by 137% in a single year. Since late 2020, Rutube has been owned by
: State-backed TV channels like Channel One Russia and NTV are directly embedded into the platform's toolbar. Content and Ecosystem : Viewers spent approximately 1
Despite being roughly the same age as YouTube, Rutube's audience has surged only recently. By early 2026, the platform reported:
Rutube: The "Russian YouTube" and Its Rise in the Global Digital Shift