The CEO of Telegram, Pavel Durov, is encouraging millions of Russians to “gather several VPNs” as the platform launches advanced upgraded technology to combat the ban from the government.
On Saturday, Durov announced an upgrade to the anti-censorship protocol of the app, a direct response to reports that Telegram connectivity within Russia had dropped to as low as 5%.
Novaya Gazeta and OONI cited this figure after taking note of a sharp deterioration in the quality of service. Even though Telegram reinforces its infrastructure, Durov still advises users in Russian to leave Russian apps alone while using a VPN. According to reports, the Kremlin is already making progress with fishing out and blocking active VPN connections via domestic apps.
Russia moves to silence telegram
Russian authorities moved to fully block Telegram in March, targeting the country’s most popular messaging service after months of intermittent disruptions.
OONI data captures what followed: a rapid collapse in connectivity over the last 30 days, peaking at a 95% failure rate on Friday morning. That figure marks a steep climb from the 79% failure rate recorded just 24 hours earlier.
Telegram’s engineering team acted quickly. They deployed the advanced anti-censorship protocol in just one day following the blackout, and Durov publicly admonished all users in Russia to update their applications instantly to restore a stable connection.
Moscow frames the restrictions as a necessary measure against criminal activity and data theft. Durov rejects that framing entirely, arguing that the Kremlin is executing a purely political maneuver; one built to drive Russian citizens toward “MAX,” a messaging platform the state can control.
Several digital rights organizations back that view. An expert at RKS Global, Sarkis Darbinyan, told TechRadar that the crackdown stands as a calculated endeavour to drive the populace into the state-sanctioned virtual ecosystem “no matter what it takes.”
The Kremlin tightens its grip on VPNs
As VPNs emerge as a critical workaround for millions of Russians, authorities are escalating their efforts to shut that route down.
After the first ban on Telegram, Government official Andrey Svintsov, aggressively claimed that media regulator Roskomnadzor launched the technical capability to selectively block VPN traffic, warning that those tools that help people bypass bans would soon lose their effectiveness completely.
But those claims have not yet materialized in practice. Millions of users continue to bypass the restrictions through VPN protocols that make encrypted traffic look like standard internet browsing. Durov verified that more than 50 million people in Russia still access Telegram every day thanks to VPNs.
The Kremlin is not backing down, however. In the past week, Digital Development Minister Maksut Shadaev introduced a scheme to “cut down VPN usage,” publishing new blocking prerequisites for firms and imposing fees and fines on individuals that use VPN.
On the ground, some censorship-resistant VPNs like Windscribe, Amnezia VPN, as well as NymVPN confirmed to TechRadar that their services are up and running inside Russia. However, the landscape is shifting fast, and no single tool carries a guarantee.
What this means for users
Durov’s statement to “stock up” on more than one VPN service is not just cautious advice. It is an effective strategy for survival. If one VPN drops, users can immediately switch to another without losing access. The logic is simple: redundancy is protection.
The broader situation reflects a familiar pattern. Governments restrict access; developers push back with technical upgrades; users scramble to stay connected. Notwithstanding, Russia’s current campaign stands out for its pace and scale. Authorities are not simply blocking apps; they are taking down the whole ecosystem that keeps those apps within reach.
Telegram is fighting back with technology. But as long as the Kremlin keeps tightening its digital grip, the responsibility for staying connected still rests on individual users as well as the VPNs they decide to work with.
The stakes are high, with WhatsApp banned for over 100 million Russians and Telegram under constant pressure, the window for accessing foreign encrypted messaging apps is closing rapidly, making Durov’s advice to “gather several VPNs” increasingly urgent for anyone seeking to maintain private communications in Russia.
