Russians will not be able to communicate via Telegram messenger using VPN services, says State Duma deputy and deputy chairman of the Information Policy Committee Andrei Svintsov.
“Roskomnadzor has the technical ability to monitor VPN traffic. They will start to put pressure on it little by little. Telegram will also be slow through VPN. If anyone thinks that everyone will just download VPN and continue to use the messenger, then I hasten to upset you. The parliamentarian said (quoted by “Caution, News”).
He added that “only legal VPN services necessary for media work” will remain. “Roskomnadzor can track everything. Telegram will not outperform anyone, and it will not work at all,” Svintsov added.
Telegram began operating on a limited basis in Russia in the summer of 2025. According to sources from RBC and The Bell, the messenger is scheduled to be permanently blocked on April 1.
In October 2025, Deputy Svintsov He claimedThe Russian authorities will not block Telegram completely.