The Russian authorities have decided to slow down the Telegram messenger. reports RBC, citing sources in the IT industry and relevant government agencies.
Experts believe that this may mean a complete blocking of the messenger. writes BBC News.
Sources of RBC reported that "Roskomnadzor" will limit Telegram's activity from February 10.
Roskomnadzor began interfering with the messenger's activities last summer. It has been officially announced that Telegram's activity will begin to be restricted from August 13, 2025. At the same time, the organization stated that Russia "takes measures to partially limit WhatsApp calls".
The regulator explained that the messengers are believed to have become "the main voice services used for fraud and extortion, as well as to involve Russian citizens in subversive and terrorist activities".
The Russian authorities also explain their actions by Telegram and WhatsApp's non-compliance with the law on "IT companies", which means that they do not store user data in Russia.
Experts say that in this way, the authorities are probably forcing Russian residents to switch to Max Messenger, which the government announced in July as the "national Messenger".
Last August, the На связи project, which tracks RuNet blocks, reported Telegram outages in at least 25 of Russia's 89 regions. A week ago, users were already massively complaining that they could not make voice calls and sometimes even send text messages. The first complaints about the work of the messenger began to be received in late June and early July.
Some analysts linked this to a possible trial blocking of the app. "Kommersant" newspaper, citing sources, reported in December 2024 that the Kremlin is discussing the upcoming blockade.
