Two Russian areas have restricted the Telegram app owing to security concerns.

(Reuters) – Authorities in two Russian districts have banned the Telegram messenger due to concerns that it may be used by opponents, according to a regional digital development minister reported by the TASS news agency on Saturday.
Dagestan and Chechnya are mostly Muslim districts in southern Russia, and intelligence agencies indicate an upsurge in militant Islamist activity.

“It (Telegram) is often used by enemies, an example being the riots at Makhachkala airport,” said Yuri Gamzatov, Dagestan’s digital development minister, adding that the decision to block the messenger was taken at the federal level.

Gamzatov was referring to an anti-Israel riot in Dagestan in October 2023, during which hundreds of protestors rushed an airport and attempted to harm passengers on a flight from the Jewish state. There were no casualties among the passengers, and several persons have been charged in connection with the event.

The plane’s landing was broadcast on local Telegram channels, with some advocating for anti-Semitic violence. Telegram criticized the incident and announced that it will ban the channels.

Telegram did not immediately reply to a request for comment on the blockages in Russia.

Based in Dubai and established by Russian-born Pavel Durov, the messenger has around 1 billion users and is popular in Russia, Ukraine, and other former Soviet countries.

Moscow attempted but failed to take down Telegram in 2018, and has previously ordered that the network hand over user data. Durov is now facing legal accusations in France as part of an investigation into app-based organized crime.
Gamzatov, Dagestan’s minister, claimed that Telegram may be unblocked in the future, but urged users to utilize alternative messengers in the meanwhile.