Russia’s War on Telegram Hillariously Backfired, Claims Pavel Durov

Russia’s campaign to block Telegram and restrict Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) triggered a nationwide banking outage on April 3, disrupting card payments, ATMs, and digital transfers country-wide.

Telegram founder Pavel Durov claims the app still has 65 million daily active users in Russia despite the full block.

Censorship Backfires on Russia’s Financial Infrastructure

According to The Moscow Times, Sberbank, VTB, and T-Bank all reported widespread service failures on April 3.

Payment terminals displayed errors, ATMs stopped dispensing cash, and mobile banking apps went offline for hours.

Fyodor Muzalevsky, technical director at IT security firm RTM Group, told reporters that the VPN-blocking measures likely contributed to the disruption.

Preliminary reports pointed to erroneous blocking of IP addresses tied to banking infrastructure.

The Moscow metro reportedly allowed free passage through turnstiles. Some shops and public venues, including at least one zoo, switched to cash-only payments.

Telegram Holds Ground Despite Full Block

Russia’s internet regulator, Roskomnadzor, began throttling Telegram in February 2026, with a nationwide block taking effect around April 1.

The push aimed to migrate users to MAX, a state-backed messaging app controlled by a Gazprom subsidiary.

However, Durov’s numbers suggest the strategy has failed.

“For accuracy, over 50M Russians send at least one message every day, with 65M daily active users in Russia overall despite the ban,” wrote Durov.

Before the restrictions, Telegram had roughly 96 million users in Russia, according to the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

The app serves as a primary news source, communication tool, and even a military coordination channel for Russian soldiers in Ukraine.

VPN Adoption Surges as Kremlin Doubles Down

Russia’s Digital Development Ministry ordered major online platforms to block VPN users by April 15. Proposed legislation would also impose fines of up to 30,000 rubles on individuals caught using unauthorized VPNs.

As of January 2026, Roskomnadzor had already restricted more than 400 VPN services, a 70% increase from autumn 2025.

Yet VPN usage continues to climb. Authorities in 83 Russian regions have imposed mobile internet shutdowns at least once since May 2025, typically limiting access to a government-curated whitelist of approved sites.

These measures have made VPNs a daily necessity for millions.

The April 3 banking outage illustrates the collateral risks of aggressive internet filtering.

Moscow could adjust its approach or press forward with deeper restrictions before the April 15 deadline. The move they make could determine the next phase of this digital standoff.