Brussels 11.02.2026 The Founder, and CEO at the @telegram social media and instant messaging service since 2013 Pavel Durov (pictured) responded to Russia’s phased restrictions imposed on the platform.

Russia is restricting access to Telegram to force its citizens onto a state-controlled app built for surveillance and political censorship. This authoritarian move won’t change our course. Telegram stands for freedom and privacy, no matter the pressure.

— Pavel Durov (@durov) February 10, 2026

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Russia’s communications regulator Roskomnadzor said in a statement cited by state media that it will “continue to introduce phased restrictions” on Telegram, for not complying with Russian laws.

Russia started blocking Telegram and YouTube.
Russian officials claim this a part of fighting against NATO.

The limitation in access to Telegram is part of Russia's struggle against NATO, Russian MP Gurulev said.

"I understand that this causes inconvenience to many, including… pic.twitter.com/K6x9XZZatc

— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) February 10, 2026

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“As before, Russian law is not being observed, personal data is not protected, and there are no effective measures to counter fraud and the use of the messaging ‌app for criminal and terrorist purposes,” the statement said.

The laws require companies to store Russian users’ data inside the country and to take steps to prevent platforms from being used for what Moscow calls criminal or “terrorist purposes.”

“It is a great shame that the company is not ‌carrying out ​laws that need to be observed,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.

State news agency RIA said Telegram faces up to 64 million rubles ($827,000, €695,000) in fines in eight upcoming court hearings, with bailiffs also seeking to collect a further 9 million rubles in unpaid penalties.

Telegram is a cloud-based, cross-platform social media and instant messaging service. It launched for iOS on 14 August 2013 and Android on 20 October 2013. It allows users to exchange messages, share media and files, and hold private and group voice or video calls as well as public livestreams.