Russian state media regulator Roskomnadzor has taken further steps to impose restrictions on the popular messaging app Telegram, citing the company’s inability to effectively combat fraud and safeguard user data. This announcement comes amid growing reports from users across Russia about performance issues with the app, particularly slow download speeds that have persisted since January.
Performance Issues and User Reports
While Roskomnadzor initially refuted claims of throttling, a noticeable increase in complaints surfaced between Monday and Tuesday. In a statement to the news outlet RBC, the regulator accused Telegram of not taking adequate measures against fraudulent activities and of being exploited by criminal and terrorist organizations. Furthermore, the agency expressed concerns over the protection of personal data, stating, “As a result, Roskomnadzor will continue to introduce appropriate restrictions to ensure compliance with Russian law and to protect citizens.”
Sources have indicated that Roskomnadzor is indeed throttling download speeds on Telegram. Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram, responded to the situation by asserting that the authorities are attempting to push users towards Max, a government-endorsed messaging platform criticized for its potential use in surveillance and political censorship. Durov emphasized, “Restricting citizens’ freedom is never the right answer. Telegram stands for freedom of speech and privacy, no matter the pressure.”
User Experiences Amid Restrictions
The extent of the new restrictions remains somewhat ambiguous. Outage-tracking platforms have reported a surge in complaints, yet some users have claimed that Telegram continues to function normally, even without the use of a virtual private network (VPN). However, others have noted that voice and video messages often fail to load, regardless of VPN usage. A woman from St. Petersburg, who preferred to remain anonymous, shared, “Video messages haven’t been loading well for me today.” Similarly, a Moscow resident expressed frustration, stating, “Files and photos are loading very slowly, and channels are taking a long time to open.”
Interestingly, many users have observed that the issues seem to be confined to Telegram’s mobile app, while the desktop version remains operational. Text messaging appears largely unaffected, with disruptions primarily impacting media content such as voice notes, videos, and images. For numerous Russians, these restrictions pose more than just a minor inconvenience; Telegram serves as a vital tool for work communications and document sharing, akin to how Slack is utilized in other regions. The slowdowns have already begun to disrupt daily workflows for some individuals.
Moreover, officials and government agencies rely on Telegram to disseminate information to the public. For instance, Belgorod region Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov expressed concern that the slowdown could impede citizens’ ability to receive emergency notifications during Ukrainian air attacks.
Context of the Restrictions
Roskomnadzor’s actions are not entirely new; the agency began restricting voice and video calls on WhatsApp and Telegram in August as part of an anti-fraud initiative, a move that both companies criticized. The Kremlin has acknowledged that blocking foreign messaging platforms to combat fraud may not be effective, as scammers utilize a variety of tools. Nevertheless, Russian security services allege that Ukraine uses these messaging apps for recruiting individuals to carry out sabotage and assassination missions within Russia.
As the government intensifies pressure on citizens to adopt the messaging app Max, which has seen a migration of pro-Kremlin channels since the summer, the competition between these platforms continues to evolve. Max reached 70 million monthly users in December, making it the third-most popular app in Russia, although it still trails behind WhatsApp and Telegram, which had 94.5 million and 93.6 million monthly users, respectively, at that time. Following the announcement of new restrictions on Telegram, some Max users reported outages, although the company maintained that the app was functioning normally.
