Last August, the Russian state media regulator, Roskomnadzor, began limiting voice and video calls via Telegram in Russia, claiming that the app was used for fraud and terrorist activities.
Yesterday, Roskomnadzor announced that Telegram continues to fail to comply with Russian law and fails to take measures to ensure the security of citizens’ data; therefore, it will continue to put restrictions on the messaging app. In a statement to RBC, it said, “ In this regard, by decision of the authorised bodies, Roskomnadzor will continue to introduce successive restrictions in order to ensure compliance with Russian legislation and ensure the protection of citizens.”
Reportedly, the measures to slow down Telegram are already being taken by the authorities. There have been reports about issues with Telegram from Russian users in the past few months.
Telegram is used by millions of people in Russia, including the military, top-level public officials, state media services, and government bodies. This continued restriction on the app is expected to cause widespread disruptions.
Telegram’s Russian-born founder and CEO, Pavel Durov, has reacted to these restrictions on the X platform. He mentioned, “Russia is restricting access to Telegram to force its citizens onto a state-controlled app built for surveillance and political censorship. This authoritarian move won’t change our course. Telegram stands for freedom and privacy, no matter the pressure.”
The state-run alternative to Telegram is said to be Max, an app that the Russian government has ordered to be pre-installed on all new smartphones and tablets sold in the country.
