Sources: Moscow starts limiting Telegram’s operation

Russian authorities have decided to begin efforts to slow down the operation of the Telegram messaging service in Russia, sources told Russian media, citing one representative from the information technology industry and two sources from relevant government agencies.

According to two of the sources, Roskomnadzor plans to start implementing measures to partially restrict Telegram’s functionality on Tuesday, February 10. Another source said that steps to slow down the messenger are already underway. 

Telegram and WhatsApp have previously been subject to restrictions in Russia. In August 2025, Roskomnadzor limited voice calls on both platforms. The regulator said at the time that the services had become “the main voice tools used for fraud and extortion, as well as for involving Russian citizens in sabotage and terrorist activities.” WhatsApp is owned by Meta, which is designated as an extremist organisation and banned in Russia.

In October, Roskomnadzor reported that it had begun partially restricting Telegram and WhatsApp as part of efforts to counter criminal activity. In December, State Duma Committee on Information Policy Chairman Sergey Boyarsky of the United Russia party said it was premature to speak of a complete Telegram ban. He noted that Telegram functions not only as a messenger but also as a social network, emphasising that significant resources had been invested in building and maintaining channels on the platform. “For now, I would prefer not to talk about a full blockade of Telegram,” Boyarsky said.

In mid-January, State Duma Information Policy Committee member Andrey Svintsov said Roskomnadzor was slowing Telegram because of what he described as the platform’s insufficiently rapid blocking of anonymous channels. At the time, Roskomnadzor told reporters that no new restrictive measures against Telegram were being applied.

Several days later, Artyom Sheykin, deputy chairman of the Federation Council’s Council for the Development of the Digital Economy, said that Roskomnadzor was gradually restricting Telegram’s operations. He linked the measures to Telegram’s refusal to comply with requirements aimed at preventing criminal activity.

On February 9 and 10, Russian users reported disruptions in Telegram’s operation, according to data from the Downdetector and Sboy.rf monitoring services. Similar complaints were also recorded in mid-January and at the end of December.

Telegram has previously faced nationwide restrictions in Russia. In April 2018, the messenger was blocked after refusing to provide the Federal Security Service (FSB) with encryption keys needed to decrypt users’ messages.

In June 2020, Roskomnadzor lifted its demands to block the service, stating that Telegram founder Pavel Durov had expressed readiness to “counter terrorism and extremism.” Telegram also paid fines in nine cases for failing to remove content banned in Russia.

By Tamilla Hasanova