Telegram will not be blocked for Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine – Russian minister of digital development

Russian government officials have decided not to restrict the operation of the Telegram messenger for Russian soldiers in the combat zone of the war in Ukraine, where they may use it to coordinate actions, transmit coordinates and track drones.

Source: Russian propaganda outlet RIA Novosti, citing Russia's Minister of Digital Development Maksut Shadayev

Quote: "A decision has been taken not to restrict Telegram's operation in the zone of the special military operation [as Russians refer to the war of aggression against Ukraine – ed.]."

Background:

• Prior to this, the Baza Telegram channel reported that Russia could fully block Telegram from 1 April. The Russian censorship agency Roskomnadzor neither confirmed nor denied this.
• The Kremlin has not given a clear answer regarding a potential block. According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, the situation surrounding Telegram and other platforms falls within the remit of Roskomnadzor. "The Kremlin does not deal with blocking either Telegram or other platforms. This is handled by Roskomnadzor," he said.
• Meanwhile, as Bloomberg reports, the Russian authorities' attack on Telegram has gone too far, prompting criticism and comments from unexpected sources, including Russian soldiers who use Telegram to communicate in the trenches, pro-war bloggers and regional officials.

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