According to the media, last weekend in Russia, the Telegram net communicator stopped operating. It has been previously reported that the authorities are seeking to completely block 1 of the most popular communicators in Russia. Meanwhile, the company believes that the government is trying to limit its independence.
As reported by the Russian portal Medusa on 16 March, Telegram users in Russia are having problem logging in to both mobile applications and browser versions. Problems are to send messages and display images and video files. The portal cites experts who claim that this is the beginning of the 1 April blockade of the Telegram.
Roskomsupervisor, or Russian telecommunications supervisor, has for any time been making accusations against Telegram, which concern, among others, the alleged anticipation of spreading extremist and illegal content. The service was already punished with restrictions. This was the case on 16 March, erstwhile a fine of 35 million rubles (about PLN 1.6 million) was imposed on Telegram for not deleting prohibited content.
The company believes the government is trying to limit its independence. "Russia restricts access to the Telegram due to the fact that it tries to force its citizens to control to a state-controlled application, created for supervision and political censorship," wrote the co-founder of the Telegram, Paweł Duro, in February 2026.
The restrictions of Roskomover besides meet the most popular communication application in Russia, which is WhatsApp. Meanwhile, the Russian authorities advance the Max app launched in 2025.
Durow was besides the creator of the VKontakte social network. In 2014, he left Russia after refusing to supply user data to his applications to the national safety Service (FSB) and after blocking the anti-Kremlin opposition leader Alexey Navalny's account. In February 2026, he announced that an investigation had been initiated against him in Russia on the grounds of "supporting terrorism".
Source: PAP
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