Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on March 8, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 25, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleTwo Russian regions block Telegram over security fears, citing its use in spreading unrest. Future unblocking is possible.
(Reuters) - Authorities in two Russian regions have blocked the Telegram messenger because of concerns that the app could be used by enemies, a regional digital development minister was quoted as saying by the TASS state news agency on Saturday.
Dagestan and Chechnya are mainly Muslim regions in southern Russia where intelligence services have registered an increase in militant Islamist activity.
"It (Telegram) is often used by enemies, an example of which is the riots at the Makhachkala airport," said Yuri Gamzatov, Dagestan's digital development minister, adding that the decision to block the messenger had been made at the federal level.
Gamzatov was referring to an anti-Israel riot in Dagestan in October 2023, when hundreds of protesters stormed an airport to try to attack passengers arriving on a plane from the Jewish state. No passengers were injured, and authorities have prosecuted several people over the incident.
News of the plane's arrival had spread on local Telegram channels, where users posted calls for antisemitic violence. Telegram condemned the attack and said it would block the channels.
Telegram did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the blocks in Russia.
Based in Dubai and founded by Russian-born Pavel Durov, the messenger has nearly 1 billion users and is used widely in Russia, Ukraine and other former Soviet republics.
Moscow tried but failed to block Telegram in 2018 and has in the past demanded the platform hand over user data. Durov is under formal investigation in France as part of a probe into organised crime on the app.
Gamzatov, the minister in Dagestan, said Telegram could be unblocked in the future, but encouraged users to switch to other messengers in the meantime.
(Writing by Lucy Papachristou, Editing by Timothy Heritage)
Authorities in Dagestan and Chechnya blocked Telegram due to concerns that the app could be used by enemies, particularly in light of increased militant Islamist activity.
The decision was influenced by an anti-Israel riot at Makhachkala airport in October 2023, where calls for violence were spread via local Telegram channels.
Telegram condemned the attack at the airport and stated it would block the channels that promoted antisemitic violence.
Yes, Dagestan's digital development minister mentioned that Telegram could potentially be unblocked in the future, but users are encouraged to switch to other messengers in the meantime.
Moscow attempted to block Telegram in 2018 but was unsuccessful, and the platform has faced demands for user data in the past.
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