The Russian government is pressuring users to abandon foreign messaging apps like Telegram and WhatsApp and switch to a local platform called Max, which has been criticized for its centralized surveillance.
Russian authorities have opened an investigation into Telegram founder Pavel Durov on charges of aiding terrorist activities.
Pro-Kremlin media outlets have alleged that Telegram is being used by NATO intelligence services and the Ukrainian government to incite protests, spread radical ideology, and commit sabotage and terrorist crimes in Russia.
If Telegram refuses to cooperate, it could be labeled an “extremist organization” and banned in the country.
Durov denies the charges, saying Russia is trying to curb its citizens’ privacy and freedom of expression.
Telegram was founded in 2013 as a privacy-focused app.
Durov left Russia in 2014 after being pressured to sell his shares in VK, Russia’s largest social network.
He now holds French and UAE citizenship.
Russian media have accused Telegram of ignoring requests from Russian authorities to remove content it considers illegal, despite receiving more than 150,000 requests.
They have also accused Telegram of being used for internal attacks, including the assassination of military officers and other attacks since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The Russian government previously tried to ban Telegram in 2018 for refusing to hand over encryption keys, but failed because users and Telegram used proxies to circumvent the restrictions.
The restrictions were only lifted again in 2020.
And now, Russia is once again slowing Telegram traffic and blocking WhatsApp, while emphasizing the use of its local platform Max.
Despite this, Telegram remains popular among the Russian military and has over 100 million monthly users, demonstrating the Kremlin’s difficulty in diverting citizens’ attention to local platforms.
