Andrey Klishas, head of the Federation Council Committee on Constitutional Legislation and State Building, said Friday that while he personally considers Telegram a high-quality service and uses it regularly, all digital platforms operating in Russia must abide by domestic laws, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
“Telegram is no exception,” he said in remarks to Sputnik Radio, stressing that compliance with legislative requirements applies equally to foreign and domestic services.
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Klishas added that any final determination regarding Telegram’s status would be made by Roskomnadzor, the federal agency responsible for overseeing media and communications. He suggested that the public should await the regulator’s decision.
The warning comes amid a broader tightening of restrictions on foreign communication platforms. Russian authorities recently limited access to WhatsApp after its parent company, Meta Platforms, was accused of failing to comply with what officials described as the “norm and letter of Russian law.”
Following the move against WhatsApp, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov encouraged citizens to switch to “Max,” a state-developed national messaging application that has been mandatory on newly sold devices in Russia since 2025.
Despite mounting regulatory pressure, Telegram remains widely used in Russia, including for military-related communications. However, the platform has faced increasing scrutiny from Roskomnadzor over issues such as data localization and compliance with anti-terrorism regulations.
Telegram’s founder, Pavel Durov, has previously argued that regulatory measures are aimed at pushing users toward state-monitored alternatives. Similar concerns about political censorship have been voiced by Meta in response to Russian regulatory actions.
