Telegram users in Russia may experience blocked application access and reduced network speeds starting on Tuesday, as Russia's national communications regulator Roskomnadzor has reportedly begun to slow down Telegram and restrict access. According to Russian media RBC, the agency has begun to adopt technical restrictions on this encrypted communication application, resulting in unstable connections and delays in sending and receiving messages for some users.
In a statement provided to RBC, Roskomnadzor said it would "continue to implement progressive restrictions" on Telegram, citing the app's "inadequate measures" to combat fraud and criminal activity. Reuters quoted multiple Telegram users in Moscow as saying that the experience has become significantly worse recently. One of them, Anna, said: "The situation is very bad because all my relatives and friends are using Telegram. I don't know how to contact them in the future because I don't want to switch to other platforms."
This is not the first time that Russian regulators have targeted mainstream messaging apps. Last August, Roskomnadzor had begun "partially blocking" the voice calling capabilities of Telegram and WhatsApp, saying the apps were being used for extortion and "terrorist activities." During the same period, Russia also required mobile phone and tablet manufacturers to pre-install the state-led Max messaging app on new devices sold in Russia to promote the popularity of local alternatives.
Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov, who was born in Russia, has yet to publicly comment on the restrictions. However, in his latest tweet on February 8, he took aim at several European leaders, saying that "the officials with the lowest public approval ratings in the world (Macron, Starmer, Merz, Sanchez) are the most enthusiastic about advocating social media bans for teenagers and crackdowns on 'disinformation'." Durov was arrested in France in 2024 for insufficient platform content review. Since then, Telegram has continued to face dual challenges of compliance and review under regulatory pressure from various countries.