Russia plans to slow Telegram service

Russian authorities are preparing to begin measures to slow the operation of the Telegram messaging service.

Sources in the IT industry and government agencies said Russia’s communications regulator, Roskomnadzor, plans to introduce partial restrictions on Telegram starting February 10. Another source said measures to slow the service may have already begun, News.Az reports, citing Russian media.

The regulator has not yet publicly confirmed the reported plans.

In recent days, Russian users have reported problems accessing Telegram, according to outage monitoring services. Similar disruptions were also reported earlier this year and in late 2025.

Russian authorities have previously imposed restrictions on messaging platforms, arguing such measures are needed to combat fraud, extremist activity and other illegal content. In 2025, Russia restricted voice calls on Telegram and WhatsApp, citing security concerns.

Telegram was previously blocked in Russia in 2018 over encryption disputes but was unblocked in 2020 after the company signaled cooperation on countering extremism.

News.Az 

By Aysel Mammadzada