"Russia is limiting access to Telegram to force its citizens to use a state-controlled app created for surveillance and political censorship. Iran did exactly the same 8 years ago and was unsuccessful," wrote Durov on his Telegram channel.
According to him, the Iranian government blocked the messenger's activity with "artificial pretexts," but users continued to use the platform despite the block.
According to RBC sources, the partial restriction of Telegram in Russia began on February 10. Since February 9, users in dozens of the country's regions have complained about interruptions in sending messages and uploading photos and videos. Although officials have not given a clear explanation for the reasons behind the restrictions, issues of "legislative requirements" and "information security" are frequently mentioned.
Against this backdrop, Russian government agencies are actively promoting the state messenger "MAH." State Duma deputy Andrey Svintsov said there is a possibility of Telegram being completely blocked within six months.
Experts, however, have expressed concerns about the privacy policy and technical capabilities of the "MAH" app. Analyses on GitHub noted that the app has extensive system rights. Durov called such an approach a "threat to freedom" and stated that Telegram will continue to protect its users' private lives and freedom of speech.
