Telegram Moves to Evade Russian Restrictions

(MENAFN) Telegram founder Pavel Durov announced on Saturday that the messaging service will adjust its operations in Russia, aiming to make its traffic more difficult to identify and block. He explained that despite regulatory pressure, millions of users continue to rely on the platform through workarounds.

In his remarks, Durov noted that around 65 million people in Russia still access Telegram daily using virtual private network (VPN) applications, while over 50 million actively exchange messages each day, even after authorities decided to throttle the service’s speed.

He added that the Russian government has spent “years” attempting to prohibit VPN usage, a move that ultimately led to widespread disruptions, including a major banking system failure.
Drawing comparisons, Durov wrote on Telegram, “Iran banned Telegram years ago, with a result similar to Russia. The government hoped for mass adoption of its surveillance messaging apps, but got mass adoption of VPNs instead.”

He further emphasized, “Now 50M members of the Digital Resistance in Iran are joined by 50M+ more in Russia,” highlighting that the country is now “mobilized to bypass these absurd restrictions.”

Addressing Russian users directly, he declared, “Welcome back to the Digital Resistance, my Russian brothers and sisters," reinforcing the idea of collective resistance against limitations.
Russia’s communications watchdog opted in February to slow down Telegram under federal regulations, pointing to the platform’s alleged failure to respond to roughly 150,000 takedown demands involving prohibited material, such as child exploitation content and drug-related information.

Subsequently, a local news agency revealed that Durov is being investigated over potential criminal allegations tied to assisting terrorist activities. In response, he criticized officials, accusing them of “fabricating new pretexts” to justify restricting Telegram’s availability.

Meanwhile, Russian officials have escalated their measures against international communication platforms, recently imposing limits on WhatsApp after its parent company, Meta, reportedly declined to adhere to Russian legal requirements.

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