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4w ago

Telegram Rejects Spy-Access Claim as Russia Keeps Throttling and Reported April 1 Block Looms

Officials push the state-backed Max messenger, stressing server localization requirements.

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A woman poses for a photo while holding a smartphone next to a screen showing the crossed logo of Telegram messaging app against the backdrop of the Russian state flag, in this illustration taken February 12, 2026. REUTERS/Ramil Sitdikov/Illustration
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Overview

  • Russia’s regulator Roskomnadzor says it will continue restricting Telegram’s performance after deciding to slow the service over alleged legal violations.
  • Local outlets report a full nationwide block could begin on April 1, though the regulator has not confirmed the date and says it has nothing to add.
  • Digital Development Minister Maksut Shadayev claimed foreign intelligence can access Telegram correspondence used by Russian troops, a charge Telegram called a deliberate fabrication.
  • Telegram’s internal enforcement has surged this year, with more than 7.463 million channels and groups blocked since January 1 and daily removals in the hundreds of thousands.
  • Authorities are promoting the Max messenger and pressing for data localization and broader compliance, following Russia’s recent DNS-level block of WhatsApp and growing reliance on VPN workarounds by users.