Moscow (AFP) - Russia's Internet watchdog announced on Tuesday that it had begun imposing restrictions on the "Telegram" messaging platform against the backdrop of accusations of violations, while Moscow seeks to push Russians towards using a censored local Internet service.
Published on: 02/10/2026 - 20:41
Moscow is threatening various internet platforms with major restrictions or outright bans if they do not comply with Russian laws.
Russian laws stipulate that data of Russian users be stored in the country, and efforts are made to eliminate platforms that are used, according to Moscow, for “criminal and terrorist purposes.”
Opponents and human rights activists say that the restrictions involve an open attempt by the Kremlin to tighten control and censorship of Internet use in Russia, amid a widespread campaign of repression against the opposition in the midst of the attack on Ukraine.
“Russia is restricting access to Telegram in an attempt to force its citizens to turn into a state-controlled app designed for surveillance and political censorship,” Pavel Durov, the Russian-born and foreign-based founder of Telegram, said in a post on his Telegram channel.
Russia's communications regulatory authority, Roskomnadzor, said in a statement reported by official media that it would continue to "impose gradual restrictions" on Telegram, stressing that the application did not comply with the laws.
Reporters Without Borders condemned what it described as an ongoing strategy to "stifle the circulation of information," noting that Russia ranks 171 out of 180 in the World Press Freedom Index.
For its part, Amnesty International considered that the move entails "censorship and obstruction under the pretext of protecting people's rights and interests."
Telegram is widely used across Russia, both as a messaging app and as a social media service.
A large number of prominent public figures, as well as government bodies and the Kremlin, post regular updates on the platform.
The decision was also criticized by some pro-war bloggers who widely use Telegram, considering that it would disrupt communication around the front line and in the territories occupied by Russia.
“It is very annoying,” said a post by Two Majors, one of the most famous channels of military correspondents in Russia.
The channel denounced the shift to Russian platforms that no one uses outside the country, considering that this reflects negatively on the transmission of local positions.
© 2026 AFP
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