diff --git a/src/conversation_textview.py b/src/conversation_textview.py
index f342d12c77b953f9952285678062daf5e632dd51..8d7cce1a6dbae3f12a1803da553f8376411bf005 100644
--- a/src/conversation_textview.py
+++ b/src/conversation_textview.py
@@ -1303,7 +1303,7 @@ class ConversationTextview(gobject.GObject):
         timestamp_str = helpers.from_one_line(timestamp_str)
         format_ += timestamp_str
         tim_format = time.strftime(format_, tim)
-        if locale.getpreferredencoding() != 'KOI8-R':
+        if locale.getpreferredencoding() not in ('KOI8-R', 'cp1251'):
             # if tim_format comes as unicode because of day_str.
             # we convert it to the encoding that we want (and that is utf-8)
             tim_format = helpers.ensure_utf8_string(tim_format)