Russian publication Lenta.ru reports that 690,000 Windows Phones were sold in Russia in the first 5 months of the year, up 109%according to stats by large retailer Svyaznoy.

This boosts Windows Phones to 8% of the market, more than double its market share last year over the same period.

This also puts Windows Phone sales ahead of iPhone sales in the region, with iPhones dropping from 10 to 7% of the market.

Android handsets accounted for 85% of the 8 to 8.2 million handsets sold in the region, but the report notes that Android market share growth seems to have stalled, and remain the same compared to last year.

Svyaznoy credits Microsoft and Nokia’s brand and the presence of cheap, high quality Windows Phones for the growth, noting Windows Phones had 9% of the budget smartphone market, up from 4% last year, and also the increasing number of apps in the Windows Phone Store.

iOS handsets, which often sell for 4 times what Windows Phones cost, still accounted for a bigger share of the revenue of the market at 27%, second to Android, while Windows Phones only accounted for 6% of the total revenue of sales. This number is however up from 4% last year.

While it has been clear that Microsoft affordable device strategy has not been universally successful, in certain markets it has certainly provided a boost to sales, and we hope the addition of some flagship devices will complete the picture in less price dependent regions.