- Telegram CEO publicly condemns app restrictions in Russia
- Pavel Durov vows to continue fighting Russian censors “no matter the pressure”
- The Russian AmneziaVPN confirms a “large wave of new users”
Telegram CEO Pavel Durov has sharply criticized the Kremlin’s decision to restrict access to the messaging app in Russia, vowing to resist government censors “no matter the pressure.”
The statement came following an increase in reports from Russian users experiencing significant slowdowns and connectivity issues.
The outage was officially confirmed by Russia’s communications regulator Roskomnadzor, which announced the implementation of “consistent restrictions” on the platform.
The regulator accused Telegram of failing to safeguard personal data and taking appropriate measures to combat criminal activity on the service. However, Durov has rejected these justifications, saying they represent an “authoritarian measure.”
Russia is restricting access to Telegram to force its citizens to use a state-controlled app created for surveillance and political censorship. This authoritarian measure will not change our course. Telegram represents freedom and privacy, no matter the pressure.February 10, 2026
“Russia is restricting access to Telegram to force its citizens to use a state-controlled app created for surveillance and political censorship,” Durov wrote on X. He was referring to the Kremlin-backed MAX messaging app, a platform that experts have previously flagged for its “enormous surveillance potential.”
Durov also compared the current Russian restrictions on Telegram to those imposed in Iran eight years ago, arguing that a state-imposed ban will not prevent citizens from using the app.
“Iran tried the same strategy and failed,” Durov notes, adding that many Iranians still use the app.
The shift toward VPN services and other tools to bypass censorship is already underway in Russia. AmneziaVPN, a provider known for its censorship-resistant tools, confirmed to TechRadar that it is seeing a “huge wave of new users” for its free service, AmneziaFree.
A sign of growing censorship
The latest restrictions were not unexpected to those who monitor the country’s changing censorship apparatus.
Mazai Banzaev, founder and architect of Amnezia VPN, told TechRadar: “Amnezia had been preparing for possible Telegram blocks for about six months,” adding that he was “surprised it happened so late.”
Banzaev maintains that the outages are a clear indicator of the Kremlin’s long-term goal: decoupling Russia from the global Internet.
“Technically, Roskomnadzor appears set to block all major global services and cloud platforms, including Google, Amazon, Cloudflare and others,” he warned.
VPNs are also a target
As more Russians turn to VPNs to bypass these restrictions and maintain access to Telegram, using a VPN in the country is becoming increasingly difficult.
Russia’s battle against circumvention tools has entered a new phase, characterized by massive investment in AI-powered deep packet inspection (DPI) and an increasingly strict legislative environment.
While Telegram offers its own built-in proxy system, Banzaev maintains that using a high-quality VPN is still the most practical solution for the average user.
“In reality, only a small number of users are prepared to manually configure proxy servers and handle Telegram settings,” he said.
Because the effectiveness of specific protocols can fluctuate daily, it’s worth downloading multiple apps so you can switch between them if an outage occurs. If you’re looking for a reliable free VPN, it’s worth checking out our guide to the best free VPNs.
