Russia’s Minister of Digital Development and Communications, Maksut Shadyev, revealed the reason for the slowdown of Telegram services in Russia.
According to the minister, the Russian Federal Service for Supervision of Communications and Information Technology, Roskomnadzor, decided to slow down the application's services on Russian territory based on federal laws in force in the country, after Telegram ignored 150,000 requests from Russia to remove material containing prohibited information.
The minister noted "intelligence confirmations indicating that some foreign intelligence agencies operating against Russian military personnel involved in the special military operation have access to Telegram communications." He confirmed that Russia is currently experiencing a slowdown in the uploading of large files on the Telegram application, but that the application's core functions remain available.
In August 2025, Roskomnadzor imposed restrictions on calls on Telegram, citing its efforts to combat criminal activity through the application. In February 2026, citizens in Russia began to complain about problems with the application's operation. On February 10, Roskomnadzor announced that Telegram had not taken effective measures to combat fraud on its platforms, had not protected users' personal data, and had violated Russian laws. The agency promised to impose "gradual restrictions" to change this situation.
Anton Nemkin, a member of the Information Policy Committee of the Russian State Duma, stated that the restrictions imposed by Russia on the Telegram platform are not aimed at a ban, but rather at forcing the platform to comply with Russian law. He said: "If the platform decides to operate in accordance with the requirements of Russian legislation and ensures the appropriate level of protection for citizens, there will be no fundamental obstacles to restoring full operation."
