Russia Blocks Telegram App

Russia began on Monday banning the Telegram app. (AFP)
Russia began on Monday banning the Telegram app. (AFP)
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Russia Blocks Telegram App

Russia began on Monday banning the Telegram app. (AFP)
Russia began on Monday banning the Telegram app. (AFP)

Russia began on Monday blocking the Telegram app after it refused to give the security services access to private conversations.

"Roskomnadzor has received the ruling of (Moscow's) Tagansky court to block Telegram's services on Russian territory. This information was sent to providers on Monday," Russia's communications watchdog said in a statement.

The service, set up by a Russian entrepreneur, has more than 200 million global users and is ranked as the world's ninth most popular mobile messaging app.

Telegram has repeatedly refused to comply with requests to give the Federal Security Service (FSB) access to its users' encrypted messages.

The FSB has said it needs such access to guard against security threats such as terrorist attacks. But Telegram said compliance would violate users' privacy.

Some Russian internet providers began blocking Telegram on Monday afternoon.

"Russian authorities have begun blocking Telegram. The service could be unstable without a VPN. We will inform you on the developing situation," the messaging app notified its Russian users.

Around 10 activists were arrested after demonstrating outside the FSB headquarters against the move, Maria Alekhina, a member of the Russian protest punk group Pussy Riot, told Ekho Moskvy radio.

The Kremlin's press service told journalists on Monday that it will be switching to ICQ, a 1990s chat service now owned by billionaire Alisher Usmanov's Mail.ru, to communicate with them.

"It is telling that authoritarian governments (e.g., Russia) are trying to block Telegram over encryption, but are more relaxed when it comes to other encrypted messaging apps," Pavel Durov, the app's maverick creator -- dubbed Russia's Mark Zuckerberg -- wrote on Twitter.

Writing on Vkontakte, the social media platform Durov founded that is now under state control, he said the decision harms Russia's national security as users will switch to WhatsApp and Facebook which are "controlled from the US."

"We believe the ban is anti-constitutional and will continue to defend the right of Russians to private messaging," said Durov, who left Russia in 2014 and is now based in Dubai.

Durov has long said he will reject any attempt by the country's security services to gain backdoor access to the app.

The ban followed a long-running battle between authorities and Telegram, which has a reputation for securely encrypted communications, as Moscow pushes to increase surveillance of internet activities.

Telegram, a free application that lets people exchange messages, stickers, photos and videos in groups of up to 5,000 people, has attracted more than 200 million users since its launch by Durov and his brother Nikolai in 2013.

Russia has acted to curb internet freedoms as social media have become the main way to organize demonstrations.



Trump Administration Tells Embassies to Rein in Criticism of Foreign Elections

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio takes part in a meeting between President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, US, July 14, 2025. (Reuters)
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio takes part in a meeting between President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, US, July 14, 2025. (Reuters)
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Trump Administration Tells Embassies to Rein in Criticism of Foreign Elections

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio takes part in a meeting between President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, US, July 14, 2025. (Reuters)
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio takes part in a meeting between President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, US, July 14, 2025. (Reuters)

The State Department is pulling back from commenting on or criticizing elections overseas unless there is a clear and compelling US foreign policy interest in doing so.

In new guidance issued Thursday to all US embassies and consulates abroad, the department said that those outposts should refrain from issuing statements that invoke any particular ideology and that what they may say must be in line with President Donald Trump’s stated position that the US will respect the sovereignty of all foreign nations.

“Consistent with the administration’s emphasis on national sovereignty, the department will comment publicly on elections only when there is a clear and compelling US foreign policy interest to do so,” according to the cable, a copy of which was shared with The Associated Press.

The department has for decades issued statements highly critical of or questioning the legitimacy of certain elections, notably in authoritarian countries. That is changing as the Trump administration has emphasized an “America First” foreign policy approach centered on US interests.

“When it is appropriate to comment on a foreign election, our message should be brief, focused on congratulating the winning candidate, and, when appropriate, noting shared foreign policy interests,” the cable said.

The document, which was signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and first reported by the Wall Street Journal, said “messages should avoid opining on the fairness or integrity of an electoral process, its legitimacy or the democratic values of the country in question.”

In the past, US commentary questioning or criticizing elections aboard often has come in support of findings from various election monitoring groups, such as the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe or US-based institutions such as the Carter Center, the National Democratic Institute and International Republican Institute.

The department cable said that amplifying the findings of outside groups or denouncing electoral irregularities can only be done with permission from senior officials in Washington.