According to the report, in the first half of 2026, the Russian pirated film content market grew by 4.2%, reaching US$17.3 million. “Kommersant” Citing a study by F6. Market participants say the growth is due to continued Russian interest in foreign films.
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Research points out that the size of the pirated film content market has grown for the first time since 2019. Search traffic to piracy portals also increased by 5.7%, although traffic to legal streaming platforms increased significantly more, at 19.6%.
At the same time, the proportion of films premiering on pirated networks declined in the first half, accounting for 38% of theatrical releases (255 projects in total), compared with more than 52% in the first half of 2025 and 24% – 48% in 2024. F6 notes that foreign premieres still appear more frequently in pirated shows than Russian premieres: “During this period, approximately 57% of theatrical releases were leaked online, compared with 10% in Russia. For comparison: in the first half of 2025, these figures were approximately 70% and 15% respectively.”
To bypass the blockade, piracy websites use various techniques. For example, in January this year, F6 experts discovered that illegal content on pirated resources was only available after 18:00 and on weekends, which allegedly allowed them to bypass regulatory checks during business hours. Pirates also use other people’s brands to disguise themselves, marking the name of a large online theater in the domain name.
Wink noted that illegal distribution of content from copyright holders who have left the market is rampant. “This will of course have a negative impact on the legal profession. The problem remains that complaints against illegal dissemination of content by third party interests cannot be made if the copyright owner himself does not work in the country.”” said Anton Volodkin, general director of online theater.
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