Telegram will be blocked in Russia from 1 April

Telegram will be completely blocked in Russia from 1 April - Russian media

Russian state and pro-Kremlin media report that from 1 April 2026 access to the messenger Telegram in the Russian Federation will be completely terminated due to the decision of the regulator. This decision could lead to massive restrictions for millions of users across the country.

What happened

According to Russian media, Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media (Roskomnadzor) has decided to permanently block Telegram on the territory of the Russian Federation from 1 April. The regulator calls it a step to «ensure information security and protect citizens from prohibited content». The details of the formal grounds for the decision have not yet been made public.

Telegram has repeatedly been at the centre of a conflict with Russian authorities over its refusal to hand over encryption keys and other technical information. Past blocking attempts have always been partially circumvented by users using VPNs and proxy services. However, now, according to sources, the regulator plans to use new technological mechanisms to completely restrict access.

Company and user response

There are no official statements from the Telegram team regarding the latest decision. Earlier, the messenger's founder Pavel Durov repeatedly called on the Russian authorities to engage in dialogue and stressed that the company respects the laws of the countries where it operates, but will not share encrypted user data with third-party government agencies.

Social media users in Russia are already seeing an increase in discussions about the possible impact of the blockade on business, communications and privacy. Some of them point out that the messenger has long been a critical part of digital life, including work, education and news.

What it means

According to cyber law and telecoms experts, a complete blockade of Telegram could increase the use of blocking tools such as VPNs and pose new technical and legal challenges for the regulator. It could also affect business communications and media consumption in the country.

Analysts predict an increase in the inflow of users to alternative platforms, although none of them is yet close to the scale of Telegram in terms of popularity among Russian users.