Telegram, a key platform for both public and private communication in Russia, will be subject to additional restrictions after failing to address earlier violations, the country’s communications regulator announced on Tuesday.
The watchdog, Roskomnadzor, began limiting voice and video calls via Telegram last August, when it took similar steps against Meta’s WhatsApp. In a further clampdown on foreign-based tech providers, it blocked Apple’s video-calling app FaceTime in December.
Telegram’s Russian-born founder, entrepreneur Pavel Durov, defended the app, saying it would remain committed to protecting freedom of speech and user privacy “no matter the pressure.”
In a statement on Tuesday, Roskomnadzor said a number of messaging apps, including Telegram, had not taken action over the past few months to address its complaints.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, interviewed by state news agency TASS, said he had been made aware that Telegram was “not meeting the requirements of Russian legislation.”
Moscow Residents Concerned As Telegram Slows
Telegram is used by newsmakers of all kinds – including the Kremlin, courts, media, celebrities and the exiled opposition – to distribute information instantly to a large audience.
Military bloggers say it has also been used extensively by Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine.
Durov, writing on his Telegram channel, accused authorities of curbing access to Telegram to push Russians toward a state-controlled alternative, likely referring to MAX messenger.
State news agency RIA reported separately that Telegram was facing fines of up to 64 million roubles ($830,000) in eight upcoming court hearings in connection with alleged failures to remove information required by Russian law. It said bailiffs were also seeking to collect another 9 million roubles in earlier, unpaid fines.
Russia has placed curbs on foreign-based apps while rolling out the state-backed rival, MAX, which people are encouraged to use for access to government services, as well as for messaging. Critics say MAX could be used for surveillance, though state media have denied that.
Russia tried and failed to block Telegram in 2018. It has also banned Meta’s Facebook and Instagram, and restricted access to YouTube, which is owned by Alphabet’s Google.
(With inputs from Reuters)
