The Telegram messenger will become unavailable for most russians by April 1 of this year, russian media report, citing sources close to the kremlin.
It is noted that this information was also confirmed by one of the russian telecom operators. Thus, the largest companies in this sector were informed of a “preliminary decision to block Telegram starting April 1”.
“Things may still change in a month and a half, as authorities have differing opinions on this issue. But for now, the information is that there will be a full block starting April 1”, - the source said.
Another source said that operators received letters instructing them not to interfere with the blocking. Similar messages were sent out ahead of the “slowdown” of YouTube.
According to two sources close to the kremlin, blocking Telegram from April is a final decision by the russian authorities.
One of the reasons for this is that “recently there have been more frequent cases of recruiting people, including minors, to commit illegal acts”.