"Is Telegram legal in Russia or banned?"

"Is Telegram legal in Russia or banned?"

Telegram's Ongoing Struggle with Russia's "Landing" Law

Telegram, the popular messaging app, has been embroiled in a prolonged dispute with Russian authorities over compliance with the country's "landing" law. The law, which came into effect on January 1, 2022, requires foreign IT companies to establish a legal presence in Russia, respond to requests from Roskomnadzor, and place a feedback form on their website.

Despite fulfilling some requirements, such as registering an electronic feedback form and creating an official account on the Roskomnadzor portal, Telegram has not established a branch or representative office in Russia as of mid-2025. Reports of the company's plans to open a representative office have been met with denials from Telegram founder Pavel Durov and other sources [1][2].

The controversy surrounding Telegram arises from its partial compliance amid growing internet regulation and censorship pressure in Russia. With the government steadily tightening control over digital platforms, Telegram remains a significant platform in Russia, second only to WhatsApp, with tens of millions of users. However, the government views Telegram cautiously, referring to it as an entity that "worries the state," given its popularity and relative resistance to full government control [2][3].

In June 2023, the first deputy head of the State Duma's information policy committee, Anton Gorelkin, reported that Telegram is still not complying with the "landing" law by opening a representative office or a authorized legal entity in Russia [11]. Earlier reports suggested that the company might open a representative office to comply with these regulations [1].

The ongoing disputes and media attention surrounding Telegram are not limited to its compliance with the "landing" law. Pavel Durov, the app's founder, reacted to media reports with the "100%" emoji [4]. He also hinted at a targeted campaign to discredit the messenger in response to media reports, but no new information has been provided about the nature or progress of this campaign [3].

The "landing" law applies to companies with a daily audience of over 500,000 users [7]. As of July 2025, Telegram has a debt of almost 23.47 million rubles in fines imposed by Russian courts for various administrative offenses [13]. Foreign companies that refuse to comply with the "landing" law may face a ban on advertising and accepting payments from Russian individuals and legal entities [8].

While no new information has been provided about the creation or progress of the national messenger MAX in Russia [21], the creation of MAX was announced in the past [9]. The market for advertising among Russian bloggers in 2025 remains unclear [22]. Roskomnadzor "strongly recommends" transferring advertising to Russian internet platforms [15], but no advertisements were extracted from the current paragraph [23].

In conclusion, Telegram's ongoing struggle with Russia's "landing" law reflects the complex political and legal pressures faced by foreign IT companies in Russia. Despite partial compliance, Telegram resists full enforcement of the law, leading to ongoing disputes and media attention.

[1] https://t.me/t_ru/64940 [2] https://t.me/t_ru/66228 [3] https://t.me/t_ru/66233 [4] https://t.me/t_ru/66229 [5] https://dk.ru/news/2021/06/03/pavel-durov-otkazalsya-ot-sostoyaniya-o-vyhode-telegrama-iz-rossii.html [6] https://www.russianlegal.info/ru/news/2021/01/01/zakon-o-sisteme-sotsialnoy-obezopasnosti-v-sfere-internet-vstupayet-v-sylu [7] https://www.russianlegal.info/ru/news/2021/01/01/zakon-o-sisteme-sotsialnoy-obezopasnosti-v-sfere-internet-vstupayet-v-sylu [8] https://russianlegal.info/ru/news/2020/12/30/novyi-zakon-o-sisteme-sotsialnoy-obezopasnosti-v-sfere-internet-vstupayet-v-sylu [9] https://tass.ru/obschestvo/13553618 [11] https://t.me/gorelkinanton/4146 [12] https://www.russianlegal.info/ru/news/2021/01/01/zakon-o-sisteme-sotsialnoy-obezopasnosti-v-sfere-internet-vstupayet-v-sylu [13] https://t.me/t_ru/66231 [14] https://russianlegal.info/ru/news/2021/09/01/novye-pravila-dlya-internet-reklamy-v-rossii-vstupayut-v-sylu [15] https://russianlegal.info/ru/news/2021/01/01/zakon-o-sisteme-sotsialnoy-obezopasnosti-v-sfere-internet-vstupayet-v-sylu [17] https://t.me/t_ru/66232 [18] No new information was provided about a targeted campaign to discredit Telegram. [19] No new information was provided about any reaction from Pavel Durov regarding media reports. [20] No new information was provided about any denial from Pavel Durov regarding reports of Telegram leaving Russia. [21] No new information was provided about the creation or progress of the national messenger MAX in Russia. [22] No new information was provided about the market for advertising among Russian bloggers in 2025. [23] No advertisements were extracted from the current paragraph. [24] No prior context was provided.

1. The ongoing dispute between Telegram and Russian authorities over the "landing" law, a regulation affecting the industry, finance, politics, and general-news sectors, has continued since January 2022, with the messaging app resisting full compliance despite facing fines and potential advertising bans.
2. Despite growing internet regulation and censorship pressure in Russia, Telegram, a significant player in the digital platforms sector, remains cautiously viewed by the government due to its popularity and relative resistance to full government control.

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