Pavel Durov says Russia’s Putin restricted Telegram to force a switch to government‑controlled apps
Feb 10, 2026
< 1 min read
by Jai Hamid
for CryptoPolitan

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Pavel Durov says Russian officials are now blocking access to Telegram because they want people to start using a government app that spies on users. He said the same thing happened in Iran eight years ago. Back then, Iran banned Telegram, made up excuses, and pushed people toward its own tool. But it didn’t work. […]