Fury in Russia as Putin to ban popular app from April | World | News

Russian people oppose the planned ban of a popular app created by two Russians; Even pro-Kremlin voices fear this could backfire. Vladimir Putin, who has rarely publicly opposed blocking the country’s most popular messaging channel Telegram, has been warned that the proposed ban could have negative consequences at home and on the battlefield.

But authorities increasingly portray Telegram as contributing to terrorism and criminal activity, restricting the app and targeting its founder. Similar justifications have already been used to restrict other messaging apps. February block is open WhatsApp.

As of April 1, Telegram must also be completely blocked. Instead, the Kremlin is directing users to MAX, a new state-backed messaging app that is feared to be used for surveillance. The “national messenger” is similar to Telegram in functionality, but is also integrated with Russia’s government services portal and can serve as a digital identity.

The latest campaign has drawn criticism from even Putin’s most ardent supporters. Pro-Kremlin actor and activist Grigory Korolyov, also known as GrishaPutin, uses Telegram to raise donations for the Russian military. He called the ban a “crime”.

“I can only assume that there was a lofty goal of dominating everything, but what’s going on right now is just sabotage,” he told NBC News.

Meanwhile, Russia launched an investigation into the alleged “terrorist activity” of Russian-born technology tycoon Pavel Durov, who founded Telegram in 2013. No formal charges were filed.

In a post on X last month, Durov dismissed the case against him, calling it “a sad demonstration of a state afraid of its own people.”

In early March, users of the largest Russian-language social network VK contacted Russia’s media watchdog Roskomnadzor to complain about recent internet blocks and Telegram outages.

According to the Russian independent media outlet Meduza, some of the comments are as follows:

• “Stop restricting Telegram!”
• “When there’s a drone threat, I cut off the internet; at least there’s some logic to it. So why are you blocking all the messengers? What did YouTube do to you? What does this have to do with security? Let people choose how they communicate!”
• “What kind of animals are blocking me from accessing Telegram right now? Is someone doing this on purpose, like a personal enemy?”
• “Why doesn’t Telegram even work over Wi-Fi anymore?! Stop violating citizens’ rights!”
• “How could we work if all our chats were on Telegram? Shouldn’t we be working?”

But the anger isn’t limited to regular users.

Since Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine, Telegram has become an important communication tool for both sides. Russian soldiers and military bloggers use the app to share frontline updates, raise funds and procure equipment, while in Ukraine the app is vital for staying in touch with relatives in occupied territories.

Additionally, according to the Kyiv Independent, banning Telegram has two significant economic disadvantages.

First, businesses will face much higher user verification costs. Sending single-use codes via SMS is much more expensive than sending via Telegram; This means that annual costs for companies with large user bases can increase by tens or even hundreds of millions of rubles.

Second, Telegram currently provides access to tokenized trading of US stocks, including companies like Tesla, Microsoft, and Apple, via its in-app wallet. Loss of this feature would eliminate an important route for Russian investors to access international markets.

Despite efforts to shift users to the new MAX platform, analysts say strong doubts remain.