Putin Wants to Paralyze Telegram – DiePresse.com

Eight years later the situation is different. Roskomnadzor is once again hindering the use of Telegram in Russia. But this time the Russian state could enforce its blockade. The authorities have upgraded their technology and do not have to fear social resistance to their control and censorship efforts in times of war. The Kremlin wants to bring information technologies under its control. Really this time.

For many years, Telegram, founded by Russian entrepreneur Pavel Durov, was a tech figurehead and common communication tool. Telegram not only allows calls and text messages, it also has a posting function. New multimedia messages can be constantly published in a horizontal timeline.

Not only the Kremlin, prominent members of the government and well-known propagandists run Telegram channels, but also many personalities critical of Putin. Telegram was the second most important messenger in Russia after WhatsApp. In particular, broad-based information channels such as “Basa” or “Mash” have several million subscribers because they broadcast political and banal things unfiltered. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Telegram has been an important forum for the military blogger scene, spreading news from the front and calling for fundraising campaigns. Telegram is also popular with the war enemy, Ukraine, and functions unhindered there – a circumstance that did not please the Kremlin.

Since Tuesday, Telegram users have been reporting massive problems using the app. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the company was violating Russian law. If Telegram does not give in, Roskomnadzor would “take appropriate measures.” Durov protested against the restrictions. “Restricting citizens’ freedom is never the right answer,” he wrote.

There have been disputes between the Russian state and Durov for a long time. The authorities, especially the domestic secret service FSB, demand access to user data. Whether and how much information Durow provided in the past has always given rise to speculation.

Compared to before, Telegram has now lost its undisputed position in the eyes of the Kremlin.

At the messenger app level, the new state messenger called Max will from now on serve as the preferred communication platform. Max is not particularly popular, but with pressure from above the transition to the new communications service is initiated. Of course, politicians, Kremlin-affiliated media and public institutions have long been at max.

In addition, Russia, which had a free Internet a decade ago, has invested heavily in new Internet control technologies. The mobile internet is permanently switched off in several regions. Foreign messengers such as WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram are blocked.

The Kremlin seems to assume that it can afford the blockade in the current situation. Experts such as Russian journalist Maria Kolomychenko interpret the decision as a temporary victory for representatives of the security organs, the siloviki. The siloviki use Iran as a model, which successfully blocked Telegram and switched off the Internet during the wave of protests.

The Telegram blockade could have negative effects on the front lines. Communication between soldiers in the field often takes place via Telegram, military bloggers reported. “The people at the front are no longer connected,” wrote Alexei Zhivov. The channel “Archangel of Spetsnaz” warned of “fatal consequences”. The ban on Russian Starlink use also recently caused angry comments. Not for the first time in controversial decisions by the head of state, the only loud dissenting voices come from the patriotic-nationalist spectrum.