Khaberni - Some Russian media outlets and web pages have reported that Russia may entirely ban the "Telegram" application starting from April 1st.
In a comment on the matter, a source from the Russian Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology, and Mass Media "Roskomnadzor" told RT: "We have nothing to add to the information previously published on this topic."
Roskomnadzor had previously indicated that the restrictions it imposes on the "Telegram" application are to ensure the application’s compliance with Russian laws and to protect the citizens.
From his side, Anton Nimkin, a member of the Committee on Information Policy in the Russian Duma, stated that the restrictions Moscow imposed on the "Telegram" platform were not aimed at banning it but to force the platform to comply with Russian law. He said, "If the platform decides to operate according to the requirements of Russian legislation and ensures an appropriate level of citizen protection, there will be no significant barriers to resuming full operations."
Nimkin noted that the responsibility for further development of the situation rests on "Telegram" itself, and the ball is now in its court.
Against the backdrop of recent developments, the operators of the "Telegram" app announced that more than 230,000 channels and groups from the application were blocked on Sunday, February 15th alone, for violating the app’s laws, although details of what was specifically banned were not disclosed.
