Overview
- Since February 9, media regulator Roskomnadzor has slowed Telegram traffic across parts of Russia, officially citing anti-fraud and security risks.
- Frontline personnel, pro-war influencers and regional officials reported coordination problems and voiced anger, while Dmitry Peskov called the slowdown unpleasant but necessary.
- Authorities have also altered the national DNS to hinder services including YouTube, though many Russians continue to access blocked platforms via VPNs.
- Officials are steering users to VK/Max—preinstalled since September 2025 and integrated with services such as Gosuslugi, schools and banking—with stated totals of about 85 million users and new instructions to promote it on a voluntary basis.
- Pavel Durov condemned the pressure to migrate to a surveillance-ready app, and a Duma IT chief says Telegram is in contact with regulators, as unconfirmed media reports suggest a nationwide block could start April 1, which Roskomnadzor has not verified.