If your nerves have been straining to the limit lately while waiting for a short video on Telegram to load, know that the problem is not with your provider. Roskomnadzor officially admitted that it is deliberately "hitting the brakes" on the popular messenger, turning its use into a real test of will.
Until recently, the regulator tried to deflect the topic, but the truth came to light through Artyom Sheikin from the Federation Council. It turns out that since August 2025, the authorities have been waging a quiet but methodical war against Pavel Durov's platform. The reason? Telegram stubbornly refuses to play by the fierce whistle of Russian laws and ignores requests to share data under the pretext of fighting terrorism and fraud. As a result of this rebellion, audio and video conversations are now “cut off“, and media files are dragged at the speed of a turtle.
The regulator's strategy is sneaky but clear: restrictions are being introduced “in portions“. The idea is to make users so nervous that they themselves seek refuge in alternative, easier-to-control platforms. Roskomnadzor even called these revelations “exhaustive”, which practically confirmed that they are using specialized equipment (TSPU) to choke the application's traffic.
Against this digital suffocation, a ray of hope has appeared in the State Duma, albeit a bit ghostly. Vladislav Davankov from the “New People” party has proposed a rescue plan that would deprive the authorities of their formal grounds for attack. His strategy includes mass collection of signatures and the creation of an online register of civil protests to show that Telegram is not is just an application, but a vital infrastructure for the people.
However, the most crucial move in this chess match is the open letter to Pavel Durov himself. Davankov calls on the technology magnate to open an official representative office in Russia. According to the policy, if Telegram has a real office and a “face“ with whom the state can conduct a dialogue, Roskomnadzor will lose its main trump card for blocking. However, whether Durov will bow to the pressure, or prefer Telegram to remain slow but independent, remains to be seen. One thing is certain - the battle for freedom of information in Russia is entering an increasingly critical phase.