The mobile messaging and call service Telegram, on a smartphone screen in Moscow, on March 23, 2022. - / AFP
Russia's internet watchdog announced it was throttling the Telegram messenger platform for alleged legal violations on Tuesday, February 10, as Moscow tries to push its citizens into using a more tightly controlled domestic online service.
Moscow has been threatening various internet platforms with forced slowdowns or outright bans if they do not comply with Russian laws. Those laws require data on Russian users to be stored inside the country, and for efforts to be made to stamp out their use for what Moscow calls "criminal and terrorist purposes."
Telegram is widely used across Russia, both as a messaging app and as a social media service. Almost all major public figures, including government bodies and the Kremlin, post regular updates on the platform.
Moscow is trying to push users onto a state-backed competitor, called Max, which can also handle payments and government services.
