Sawt Falasteen - Moscow chokes Telegram as it pushes state-backed rival app

Moscow has been threatening a host of internet platforms with forced slowdowns or outright bans if they do not comply with Russian laws.

Those laws require data on Russian users to be stored inside the country, and for efforts to be made to stamp out their use for what Moscow calls "criminal and terrorist purposes".

Critics and rights campaigners say those restrictions are a transparent attempt by the Kremlin to ramp up control and surveillance over internet use in Russia, amid a sweeping crackdown on dissent during the Ukraine offensive.

The Roskomnadzor agency said in a statement cited by state media that it will "continue to introduce phased restrictions" on Telegram, which it said had not complied with the laws.

Telegram is widely used across Russia, both as a messaging app and as a social media service.

Almost all major public figures, including government bodies and the Kremlin, post regular updates on the platform.

Moscow is trying to push users onto a state-backed competitor, called Max, which can also handle payments and government services.

Russia had previously tried to ban Telegram -- run by Pavel Durov, a Russian who also possesses French and Emirati nationalities --but ultimately failed in its attempts to block access and lifted the ban in 2020.

Russian users reported slow traffic and lagging downloads on Telegram throughout Tuesday before the official announcement.

Roskomnadzor has previously tried to choke other foreign services, including WhatsApp, owned by Facebook parent company Meta, and Google's YouTube.

Durov has previously clashed with Russian authorities.

He was forced out of the VK social media site he founded -- a Russian equivalent of Facebook -- under pressure from the authorities.

He went on to use the proceeds of the sale to launch Telegram in exile from the United Arab Emirates.

He was detained in Paris in 2024 under a French investigation into Telegram's alleged complicity in criminal activity. France in July 2025 lifted travel restrictions on Durov but is keeping up its investigation.

P.Tamimi--SF-PST