What is happening to Telegram
How the messenger is used by the Russian military
“Established communication channels will collapse, and rapid response will become impossible”
In January 2026, Telegram overtook WhatsApp to become the most popular messaging platform in Russia, with more than 90 million users. Then, at the beginning of February, Russian authorities began taking unprecedented measures to slow down the messenger’s service. In addition, Telegram founder Pavel Durov was accused by Russian officials of supporting terrorism, refusing to remove banned content, failing to combat fraud, and granting foreign intelligence services access to private correspondence.
Pressure on the messenger is being applied as part of a campaign to move users to Max, a service controlled by the VK holding company, which itself is connected to relatives of Vladimir Putin. On Feb. 21, the FSB posted a separate statement on its website warning that Telegram was unsafe for Russian military personnel:
