March 17, 2026
Russia was expected to block Telegram in April. It appears to have done it two weeks early.
For weeks, Russians have been bracing for a nationwide block of Telegram, the country’s most widely used messaging app, expected in early April. Reports of such plans first surfaced in late February, when RBC cited sources close to the Kremlin following a series of disruptions earlier that month. Now, however, it appears the authorities have moved ahead of schedule. Over the weekend of March 14–15, users in multiple regions reported major outages, with many unable to use the messenger at all. Here’s what we know so far.
TL;DR
- Telegram has been largely inaccessible across Russia since the weekend of March 14-15, with both mobile and desktop versions affected.
- Outages were reported in multiple regions, including Moscow and St. Petersburg, with complaint numbers surging significantly.
- Tech experts believe a government-imposed block, previously rumored for April 1, may have already begun.
- Broader internet disruptions have also been reported in Moscow, including partial or complete mobile service outages limited to specific "whitelisted" sites.
- Calls in Telegram and WhatsApp have been restricted since summer 2025, and Russian authorities confirmed plans to throttle Telegram in February 2026.
- Roskomnadzor cited concerns about fraud, extremism, and the need for Telegram to host servers in Russia and ensure data security.
- Reports surfaced linking Telegram's alleged use for recruitment for illegal activities and claims that Telegram founder Pavel Durov is under criminal investigation for aiding terrorist activity.
- Despite restrictions for the general population, authorities reportedly do not plan to restrict the app for Russian troops, who use it for coordination.
- Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on the outages, while State Duma deputy Andrey Svintsov warned that the app would be difficult to use even with VPNs.
- Peskov previously stated Telegram could avoid being blocked by complying with Russian law, but also lamented Russia's "loss" of tools for propaganda work abroad due to reliance on foreign platforms.
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