Foreign intelligence agencies are able to see what is being sent by Russians using the messaging app, Russian Digital Development Minister Maksud Sadayev said today, the Interfax news agency reported.
Telegram, one of Russia’s most popular messaging apps, is widely used by Russian forces fighting in Ukraine but has come under pressure from authorities, who have imposed restrictions on what they say is its inability to delete extremist content.
“There is a lot of evidence that foreign intelligence agencies have access to the app’s mail and are using that data against the Russian military,” Sadayev was quoted as saying.
Russia is not shutting down Telegram
Despite these issues, Russian authorities will not block access to Telegram for troops in Ukraine for now, Sadyayev said, adding that it would take “some time” to switch to other means of communication, without elaborating.
Roskomnadzor, Russia’s communications regulator, said it was slowing Telegram’s service amid a broader crackdown on foreign messaging platforms it says do not comply with Russian law.
The Kremlin confirmed last week that US messaging app WhatsApp, owned by Meta Platforms, has been fully blocked for non-compliance with domestic law, suggesting Russians are turning to state-backed “national messaging app” MAX.
Its critics say MAX is a citizen surveillance tool, a claim Russian authorities deny.
Durov defends the application
Last week, Telegram’s Russian-born founder, businessman Pavel Durov, defended the app, saying it would remain committed to protecting users’ free speech and privacy “regardless of pressure.”
A previous attempt by Russian authorities to block Telegram in 2018 sparked mass protests, including a rally in Moscow attended by more than 10,000 people.
Yesterday Wednesday, the Yabloko opposition party, which has no seat in parliament, applied to hold a rally “in defense of Telegram” in Moscow on March 1 with up to 5,000 participants. The party called Telegram “the last space of freedom in Russia” and called efforts to block it censorship.
Such requests for mass gatherings in Russia are routinely denied by local and federal authorities for a variety of reasons, including restrictions on public gatherings related to COVID.
