Telegram messaging app blocked in Russia’s Dagestan and Chechnya
Pravda Ukraine
The Telegram messaging app has been blocked in two regions controlled by the Russian Federation due to concerns that it could be used by “enemies”.
Source: Kremlin-aligned Russian news agency TASS
Details: The app is currently unavailable in Dagestan and the temporarily occupied Ichkeria (Chechnya). [The Chechen Republic, also known as Chechnya, is a federal subject of the Russian Federation; the Ukrainian parliament has recognised it as the temporarily Russian-occupied territory of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria – ed.]
Yuri Gamzatov, Dagestan’s Minister of Digitalisation, claimed that Telegram is often used by “enemies”, citing the riots at Makhachkala airport as an example.
“Telegram needs to reconsider its approach to content moderation, as extremist materials often avoid blocking,” said Anton Nemkin, a member of the Committee on Information Policy at the State Duma [lower chamber of the Russian parliament].
Nemkin argued that the blocking was a necessary measure, as the app was “actively used to coordinate unrest”.
Meanwhile, Dagestan authorities have suggested that Telegram could be unblocked in the future.
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