Azernews.Az

By Alimat Aliyeva

Russian authorities may be preparing to partially restrict the operation of the Telegram messaging app, according to several sources, AzerNEWS reports, citing foreign media.

A source in the IT industry and two sources close to relevant government bodies told the publication that Roskomnadzor is considering measures to slow down Telegram’s services. Another source cited by RBC claimed that such measures may already be underway.

The State Duma has commented on the reports. Alexander Yushchenko, Deputy Chairman of the Duma’s Committee on Information Policy, said the issue has not been formally discussed within the committee. However, he noted that Roskomnadzor could impose restrictions if there are complaints regarding the messenger’s compliance with Russian law.

Meanwhile, users across Russia have been reporting widespread outages, slower message delivery, and connection issues on Telegram, fueling speculation that technical limitations may already be affecting the platform.

Telegram has more than 800 million users worldwide and plays a particularly significant role in Russia as a source of news, public discussion, and official communications. Previous attempts to block the messenger in Russia between 2018 and 2020 were largely unsuccessful, becoming a notable example of how difficult it can be to restrict large, encrypted digital platforms without disrupting the wider internet.