They write, Telegram – that’s it. But there are nuances
Today, Russian media and social media reported that a complete blocking of the Telegram messenger is imminent.
Information platforms provide links to court and Roskomnadzor decisions, reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
"The court has registered seven reports against Telegram under Part 4 of Article 13.41 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation (failure by the owner of an online information resource to remove information containing calls for extremist activity, as well as materials containing pornographic images)," according to a press release from Moscow's Tagansky District Court.
Roskomnadzor has begun imposing additional restrictions on the platform.
"We are absolutely open to working with any domestic and foreign internet resources. But on one very simple condition: respect for Russia and its citizens, and compliance with the laws of the Russian Federation," the agency's statement reads.
Meanwhile, Kristina Potupchik, former commissioner of the Nashi movement and former press secretary of the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs and the State Committee of the Russian Federation for Youth Affairs, and now founder of her own online agency, doubts that such a decision will be beneficial for the authorities.
"Telegram has become too deeply ingrained in the everyday lives of a huge number of Russians (more than 100 million people in our country), and therefore any blocking will inevitably face the inevitable: defeat.
This story isn't even about convenience anymore, but about habit. And this isn't YouTube, which was used en masse for entertainment content, but a means of communication. That is, a basic need and necessity for the vast majority of users.
"And it's clear that Telegram isn't going anywhere, just like YouTube, for example. But now we have increased technical literacy among the general population; practically every mother, even grandmother, knows about VPNs and security protocols. And Telegram will have a formal pretext to satiate itself with the mechanics and mechanisms of smear campaigning, which has been successfully suppressed in recent years, in part thanks to the effective communication of the government and the messenger's administration," she wrote.
Meanwhile, Russian journalist and volunteer Anastasia Kashevarova, who actively supports the SVO, confidently states that her high-ranking sources deny the complete blocking of Telegram, which has nothing to do with the banned enemy WhatsApp.
"I wrote that Ukrainian scammers used WhatsApp to obtain information from the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Because WhatsApp is owned by Meta, which owns Instagram and Facebook, and is considered undesirable in Russia.
Telegram isn't considered an undesirable organization, doesn't share data with third parties, and has settings that can combat fraud. There's no decision to block it. Quite the contrary, there's an understanding that it can be negotiated to comply with Russian laws. And it doesn't engage in hostile activity.
"Don't worry, Telegram will remain," said Kashevarova, the same sources who work on blocking messengers and protecting Russia's interests online.
The founder of Telegram himself commented on the situation as follows.
Russia is restricting access to Telegram in an attempt to force its citizens to switch to a state-controlled app designed for surveillance and political censorship.
Eight years ago, Iran tried the same strategy—and failed. It banned Telegram under trumped-up pretexts, trying to force people to switch to the state-run alternative.
Despite the ban, most Iranians still use Telegram (bypassing censorship) and prefer it to apps subject to surveillance.
"Restricting citizens' freedom is never the right decision. Telegram stands for freedom of speech and privacy, despite any pressure," wrote Pavel Durov.
English version :: Read in English They write, Telegram – everything. But there are nuances