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Telegram
Restricted again since February 2026 after a first ban from 2018 to 2020. Roskomnadzor slowed Telegram nationwide for breaking Russian law and an official said in June 2026 that it was blocked.
- Status
- Banned
- Country
- Russia
- Category
- Apps & Websites
- Banned since
- 2026
- Last checked
- 29/10/2026
Russia has now tried to ban Telegram twice. The first attempt, ordered by a court in 2018, failed so badly that it was dropped two years later. The second, which started with call restrictions in 2025 and was tightened in 2026, has cut off far more users, even though the app’s founder, Pavel Durov, was born in Russia.
The first ban: 2018 to 2020
On 13 April 2018, Moscow’s Tagansky District Court ordered Telegram blocked after the company refused to hand its encryption keys to the FSB security service. The block disrupted many unrelated websites and services but hardly touched Telegram itself. On 19 June 2020, Roskomnadzor lifted it after Telegram agreed to help with extremism investigations.
The second ban: 2025 to 2026
In August 2025, Roskomnadzor blocked voice and video calls on Telegram, the same step it took against WhatsApp. By October it was openly calling this a “partial blocking”, saying both apps were the main tools for scams, extortion and recruiting people for sabotage. On 10 February 2026, the regulator confirmed it was slowing Telegram nationwide for breaking Russian law, which made photos, videos and voice notes hard to load. A week later, Russian media reported that a full block was planned from 1 April.
| When | What happened to Telegram in Russia |
|---|---|
| 13 April 2018 | Court orders a block over encryption keys |
| 19 June 2020 | First ban lifted |
| August 2025 | Voice and video calls blocked |
| 10 February 2026 | Nationwide slowdown officially confirmed |
| June 2026 | Roskomnadzor official says Telegram has been blocked |
Is Telegram blocked in Russia now?
For most people without a VPN, yes. In June 2026, senior Roskomnadzor official Oleg Terlyakov told a meeting of IT executives that the agency had blocked Telegram. When a speaker asked the room who still used the app, many raised their hands, as Meduza reported. In March 2026, the Federal Antimonopoly Service also said that advertising on Telegram showed signs of breaking the law, a direct hit to channels that live on ad income.
Part of Russia’s messenger purge
Telegram’s second ban landed in the same week that Russia cut off WhatsApp in February 2026 and blocked YouTube nationwide. Complaints about where user data is stored are not new either: they are why LinkedIn has been blocked since 2016. Iran’s judiciary also ordered Telegram blocked in 2018, the same year as Russia’s first attempt. See the full list of apps and sites Russia restricts.
Sources
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Telegram banned in Russia?
Yes, for the second time. Roskomnadzor confirmed a nationwide slowdown of Telegram on 10 February 2026, and in June 2026 a senior official said the agency had blocked the app. Many Russians still reach it, mainly by working around the block, but access on ordinary connections is unreliable.
Why is Russia blocking Telegram?
Roskomnadzor says Telegram broke Russian law. It accused the app of being a main tool for scams, extortion and recruiting people for sabotage, and of ignoring demands to act against criminals. Russia is also pushing users toward Max, a state-backed messenger it can control more easily.
Was Telegram banned in Russia before?
Yes. A Moscow court ordered Telegram blocked on 13 April 2018 after it refused to give the FSB its encryption keys. The block caused wide collateral damage but barely stopped Telegram, and Roskomnadzor lifted it on 19 June 2020 after the company agreed to help with extremism investigations.
Do Telegram calls work in Russia?
No. Roskomnadzor blocked voice and video calls on Telegram in August 2025, calling it an anti-fraud measure, and did the same to WhatsApp calls. The later slowdown in February 2026 also made photos, videos and voice notes slow or impossible to load for many users.
Is advertising on Telegram legal in Russia?
Not safely. In March 2026, Russia's Federal Antimonopoly Service said that placing ads on Telegram showed signs of breaking advertising law, because ads may not run on blocked platforms. That has hit Russian channel owners who depend on advertising income, alongside the block itself.