Telegram Fined and Narrowed! CEO Pavel Durov Promises Not to Yield to Russian Pressure

JAKARTA - Telegram CEO Pavel Durov has insisted he will not give in to pressure from Russian authorities after the government tightened restrictions on the popular messaging app and imposed a fine of millions of rubles.

In a statement on his Telegram channel on Tuesday, February 10 evening, Durov wrote that his application "stands for freedom of speech and privacy, whatever the pressure."

The statement comes after Russia's communications watchdog, Roskomnadzor, announced Telegram would face additional restrictions for failing to correct previous violations of Russian law.

On Wednesday, February 11, a Russian court fined Telegram about 11 million rubles (about 142,400 US dollars) for refusing to remove prohibited content that authorities considered to be extremist material, according to a report by state news agency RIA Novosti.

Roskomnadzor said it would "continue to introduce gradual restrictions" on Telegram for not complying with Russian laws.

"As before, Russian law is not being obeyed, personal data is not protected, and there are no effective measures to fight fraud and the use of applications for criminal and terrorist purposes," the regulator said in a statement quoted by state media.

Russian law requires technology companies to store Russian user data within the country as well as take steps to prevent platforms from being used for what Moscow calls criminal or terrorist purposes.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it was unfortunate that Telegram did not carry out the applicable law. "It is unfortunate that the company does not carry out the law that must be obeyed," he said.

According to RIA, Telegram also potentially faces additional fines of up to 64 million rubles in eight upcoming court hearings. In addition, the collection authority is trying to collect about 9 million rubles from previous fines that have not been paid.

A number of users reported that message traffic slowed down and downloads became sluggish on Tuesday, as Russia tightened control over one of the country's most important public and private communication channels.

Durov assessed that the government's move aims to encourage Russian citizens to switch to state-backed alternatives designed for political surveillance and censorship. He is suspected of referring to the MAX messenger application launched last year in Russia.

"Limiting the freedom of citizens is not the right answer," Durov wrote. "Telegram stands for freedom of speech and privacy, whatever the pressure."

Russia had previously tried to block Telegram in 2018, but failed to effectively limit access and eventually lifted the ban in 2020.

Durov left Russia in 2014 and now holds French and United Arab Emirates citizenship. In 2024, he was arrested in France in an investigation related to alleged crimes such as child pornography, drug trafficking, and fraudulent transactions associated with the use of the application. Durov denied that Telegram actively facilitated crimes. The travel restrictions that had been imposed on him were lifted last year.

The latest tensions mark a continuation of a complicated relationship between Telegram and the Russian government, with the future of the app's operations in the country again under heavy pressure.