Two Russian Regions Block Telegram Due To Security Concerns

Telegram is prohibited in Dagestan and Chechen (photo: dock. telegram)

JAKARTA The authorities in two regions of Russia have blocked the messaging app Telegram due to concerns that the app could be used by the country's enemies. This was confirmed by the Minister of Digital Dagestan Development, Yuri Gamzatov, quoted by the TASS government news agency on Saturday, March 8.

The areas affected by the blocking are Dagestan and Chechen, two Muslim-majority areas in southern Russia. According to local intelligence agencies, Islamic militant activity in the region has seen an increase in recent times.

"Telegrams are often used by enemies, for example riots at Makhachkala Airport," Gamzatov said. He referred to the anti-Israeli incident that occurred in Dagestan in October 2023, when hundreds of protesters stormed the airport to attack passengers arriving from Israel. There were no injuries in the incident, but several people have been prosecuted by local authorities.

The dissemination of information regarding the arrival of Israeli aircraft occurred through a local Telegram channel, where calls for antisemitism violence were also posted. Telegram condemned the incident and announced it would block the channels involved.

Until now, Telegram has not commented on the blocking in Russia.

Telegram, based in Dubai and founded by Pavel Durov of Russian origin. The app, has nearly 1 billion users and is widely used in Russia, Ukraine, and other former Soviet countries. Previously, Moscow had tried to block Telegram in 2018, but the attempt failed. The Russian government has also demanded Telegram to submit user data, but the request was rejected.

In addition, Durov is currently being investigated officially in France in an organized crime-related case that uses Telegram as a communication platform.

According to Gamzatov, the blocking of Telegram could be lifted in the future, but for the time being, it encourages people to switch to other messaging applications.