Telegram has blocked more than 7.46 million channels and groups since January 1, as Russia considers a possible nationwide ban from April 1.
According to state news agency TASS, Telegram removed 238,800 channels on February 15 and another 187,300 on February 16. The total number of blocked groups and channels this year now stands at over 7.463 million worldwide.
Andrey Svintsov, deputy chairman of the Information Policy Committee at the State Duma, said Telegram has started complying with Russian laws. He said the company is now working more actively with regulators and blocking content that violates national legislation.
Russia’s communications watchdog, Roskomnadzor, recently slowed Telegram’s traffic, citing non-compliance. Media reports claim authorities could fully block the platform on April 1. Officials have not confirmed the date but have warned about “sequential restrictions.”
Svintsov said Telegram could meet the requirements within one to two months. These include opening a local legal entity, storing user data inside Russia, paying taxes, and removing banned content. He added that a full block before April 1 is unlikely.
Meanwhile, Russia has already fully blocked WhatsApp by removing its domains from national DNS servers. Before the block, WhatsApp had 94.5 million monthly users in Russia, slightly ahead of Telegram’s 93.6 million users.
As restrictions increase, many Russians are turning to VPNs and alternative apps such as imo. At the same time, authorities are promoting the state-backed Max messenger as part of broader efforts to tighten control over social media platforms.
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