Restrictions Against Telegram Tighten: What's Happening

Restrictive measures against Telegram in Russia are being implemented sequentially due to the messenger«s failure to meet requirements for countering crimes. This was stated by Artem Sheikin, Deputy Chairman of the Council for Digital Economy Development under the Federation Council.

«Roskomnadzor (the Russian media regulator) is consistently applying measures against internet services that violate Russian legislation. Foreign messengers are used to organize terrorist attacks, fraud, and other crimes against Russian citizens. Telegram does not fulfill requirements aimed at preventing and suppressing unlawful activity on the territory of Russia,» the senator emphasized.

He reminded in a conversation with TASS that since August 2025, restrictions have been gradually introduced against the service: audio and video calls became unavailable, and media file transfers have partially slowed. According to Sheikin, this gradual approach allows users to adapt and switch to other platforms.

«I recommend using only national messengers as an alternative to the foreign service,» he added.

Russians are increasingly encountering problems with video uploads and slowing performance in Telegram. This is linked to restrictions by Roskomnadzor.

However, a complete blocking of Telegram is not on the agenda. As stated by Andrei Svintsov, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy, Information Technologies, and Communications, the messenger effectively interacts with the governments of most countries in the world, including Russia.