Russia Introduces Full Telegram Ban Nationwide

Russian authorities have fully blocked the messaging app Telegram across the country by Friday, April 10.

The block took effect nationwide, according to The Moscow Times, cutting off access to the platform on both mobile and fixed internet networks. Users across multiple regions reported that Telegram became inaccessible without virtual private network (VPN) access, with failure rates reaching about 95%.

VPNs encrypt internet traffic and route connections through secure remote servers, commonly used to bypass government censorship in countries with major internet restrictions.

“It seems that Telegram has been completely blocked on the territory of the Russian Federation,” said Mikhail Klimarev, head of Russia’s Internet Protection Society.

Roskomnadzor, Russia’s media regulator, had gradually restricted Telegram since the summer of 2025 by throttling the service, limiting voice and video calls, and slowing media downloads before imposing a full shutdown.

Users reported that the app no longer opens, messages fail to send or load, and media files cannot be downloaded.

Despite the nationwide block, Telegram remains widely used in Russia via VPN services. Founder Pavel Durov said about 65 million users in Russia still access the platform daily. He also announced the launch of a “digital resistance” campaign and said Telegram released an update that disguises its traffic as Google Chrome browser data, making it harder for authorities to block.

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Russian authorities have claimed the platform is used to facilitate criminal and terrorist activity, citing these allegations as justification for the ban.

In a bid to control the information space, Moscow introduced sweeping bans on foreign social media after its 2022 war in Ukraine began, including throttling YouTube in July 2024 over its refusal to reinstate pro-Kremlin accounts, and later imposing an astronomical $2.5 decillion fine on Google in October for the same reason.

The Kremlin is urging Russians to switch to its new “national” messenger, MAX, which critics fear could be used for surveillance.

The latest ban on Telegram marks the most extensive crackdown on the platform in Russia since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.