Will Russia block Telegram? Comment from Russia’s State Duma

A senior Russian lawmaker has said that the messaging app Telegram is unlikely to be blocked in Russia, citing what he described as effective cooperation between the platform and the country’s authorities.

Andrey Svintsov, deputy chair of the State Duma’s committee on information policy, told the state news agency that Telegram “interacts quite effectively with the governments of most countries around the world, including Russia”.

“I think there is no need to worry about Telegram’s future,” Svintsov said, responding to a question about whether the messenger would continue operating in the country.

His comments come amid tighter state control over foreign digital platforms. In August 2025, Russia’s media regulator, Roskomnadzor, began slowing down Telegram and WhatsApp, restricting voice calls on both services. WhatsApp is owned by Meta, which is designated an extremist organisation in Russia and is banned.

Roskomnadzor has argued that the messengers are used for fraud, extortion and other cybercrimes. Some lawmakers have previously said that Telegram would not face a full ban as long as Russian-based channels eventually move to the domestic messaging app MAX.

Earlier, Telegram founder Pavel Durov had insisted that the messaging app has no financial dependence on Russia, following reports suggesting otherwise.

In a recent statement on social media, Durov wrote: “Despite some FUD, Telegram has no dependence on Russian capital. Our recent $1.7B bond offering included exactly zero Russian investors. Old bonds issued in 2021 have largely been repaid and pose no issue.”

He also clarified the company’s ownership structure, noting: “In any case, bondholders are not shareholders and have no say over Telegram’s decisions. I am the sole shareholder.”

Telegram, founded in 2013, is widely used globally for messaging, media sharing and public channels, and has become a key platform for news distribution and political communication in many countries.

By Aghakazim Guliyev