Russia turns on Telegram.
All around the world, social media companies are under pressure from state actors, and our hard-won freedom of speech is under threat in the process.
Case in point: Russia.
Having banned US platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and X, and limited access to YouTube, the Russian government now turns on Telegram – a very popular app used by Russian soldiers and war correspondents.
Yesterday (11), Russia’s communications watchdog, Roskomnadzor, started limiting access to Telegram.
🔥 «Who is slowing down Telegram? Go to the front line»
Pro-Kremlin politicians are clashing over restrictions on Telegram in Russia.
Sergey Mironov, a member of Russia’s parliament and a strong supporter of the war, publicly criticized the move to slow down or block the… pic.twitter.com/Gmk5ZN6wWX
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) February 11, 2026
Bloomberg reported:
“Measures to slow down access to the messenger service have already begun, the news service reported, citing another person familiar that it didn’t identify. RBC said it sent a request for comment to Roskomnadzor.
The government has been promoting the use of a state-run ‘super-app’ called Max, modeled after China’s WeChat, at the same time as it has choked off access to foreign messenger services. As well as messaging, Max hosts government services and enables document storage, banking and other public and commercial services.”
After the Russian authorities restrict access to messaging app Telegram, one Russian MP calls the measure ’Defence of the information frontline…one of the components in the battle between Russia & Nato.’ The restriction widely reported in today’s Russian papers. #ReadingRussia pic.twitter.com/KWAZ0TEljS
— Steve Rosenberg (@BBCSteveR) February 11, 2026
“The authorities in Moscow began imposing selective restrictions on Telegram in late 2025, including limiting some functions such as voice and video calls on the service co-founded by Russian billionaire Pavel Durov.”
8 years ago, Iran tried the same strategy — and failed. It banned Telegram on made-up pretexts, trying to force people onto a state-run alternative. Despite the ban, most Iranians still use Telegram (bypassing censorship) and prefer it to surveilled apps. Freedom prevails.
— Pavel Durov (@durov) February 10, 2026
UPDATE: News is breaking that Russia has now totally banned WhatsApp and Youtube, too.
WhatsApp has been fully blocked in Russia, with its domain removed from Roskomnadzor’s DNS database, completely cutting off access.
YouTube also disappeared from the database yesterday and is now only reachable via VPN.
These steps likely aim to free up resources to further… pic.twitter.com/zuAZvghXzj
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) February 11, 2026
BREAKING:
The Russian government has begun blocking YouTube.
A total iron curtain is being prepared for the population. pic.twitter.com/6v2sMJR1V1
— Astraia Intel (@astraiaintel) February 10, 2026
Read more from August 2024:
BREAKING: Telegram CEO Arrested by French Authorities for Refusing to Follow Censorship Laws
