The situation surrounding the Telegram messenger in Russia is becoming increasingly complex. According to media reports, the number of Russian users who have left the platform over the last two months has reached 40 million.
The Telegram channel 'Mash' reported on this. According to the source, the usage rate of Telegram has dropped sharply following the blocking of the messenger.
The authors note that the stable performance of the messenger deteriorated significantly at the beginning of May. While the service's performance rate was previously around 98 percent, it later dropped to 13 percent.
At the same time, it is reported that using the messenger has become difficult even through VPN services. The reason cited is the tightening of restrictions on gateways and servers that help bypass blocks.
According to analysts, one of the most difficult days for Telegram was March 20, 2026. At that time, it was recorded that the number of users who could access the messenger without a VPN service had decreased fourfold.
By mid-April, the use of Telegram via free VPN services had almost completely stopped.
IT expert Konstantin Sestrichkin, in a comment to Gazeta.Ru, noted that the messenger does not have sufficient technical resources and capabilities to bypass the strong blocks in Russia.
As a reminder, the restrictions against Telegram in Russia were explained by the messenger administration's failure to comply with local legal requirements. Specifically, issues regarding personal data security and compliance with state agency requirements became the main subject of debate.
Experts believe that if the restrictions continue in this manner, significant changes could occur in the digital communication market in Russia, as Telegram was widely used not only as a simple communication tool but also as a business, information, and media platform.
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