Russia to possibly fully shutdown Telegram ahead of elections

Russian authorities may move to fully block the Telegram messaging service as early as September, according to a senior lawmaker.

Mikhail Delyagin, deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Economic Policy, said Telegram could be shut down in Russia in a manner similar to YouTube, potentially around the time of upcoming elections, Calibner.Az reports per Russian media. 

He indicated that while part of Telegram’s audience would likely remain active despite restrictions, a significant share of business users could migrate to the state-backed messaging platform MAX, which he acknowledged is widely unpopular.

Delyagin added that Russian businesses would need to adapt by operating in regulatory “grey zones” in order to survive and grow, even if that meant acting contrary to official state policy, including by selectively using tools made available through domestic regulatory frameworks.

Reports of a potential crackdown come amid mounting technical problems affecting Telegram users in Russia. On January 16, local media reported that users had begun to complain en masse about difficulties downloading video files through the app since the start of the year.

The issues were linked to new measures introduced by Russia’s media regulator, Roskomnadzor, targeting the platform. Members of the State Duma described the disruptions as a signal or warning to Telegram’s management.

By Sabina Mammadli