Durov shoots down reports of Telegram office in Russia

Russian tech entrepreneur Pavel Durov and other sources have rejected media reports that Telegram is setting up a branch in Russia.

The reactions follow the publishing of a number of articles by Russian media linked to a registration entry for the popular messenger on the website of Russia’s telecom watchdog, Roskomnadzor.

Telegram reportedly establishing presence in Russia

Telegram plans to create a representative office in Russia, local media outlets reported, including the official TASS news agency. The Hi-Tech Mail website claimed to be breaking the news on Thursday, which was later covered by other publications.

According to the reports, the company intends to comply with Russia’s so-called “landing law” and has already met two of its requirements – to open an online account with Roskomnadzor, Russia’s media censor, and fill out an electronic feedback form.

The reports referred to a registration record on the website of Roskomnadzor, or the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media.

According to the quoted entry, the British Virgin Islands-registered company is yet to fulfil another obligation under the said legislation – “to create a branch or open a representative office or found a Russian legal entity.”

The law “On the activities of foreign persons in the information and telecommunications network Internet on the territory of the Russian Federation,” often referred to simply as the “landing law,” was adopted on July 1, 2021, and came into force on January 1, the following year.

Among other requirements, it also obliges foreign firms to install a traffic counter on their platforms, choosing from a list of Roskomnadzor-approved counters, and restrict access to information that has been deemed to violate Russian regulations.

It’s unclear when precisely Telegram started the process, Hi-Tech Mail noted, adding that Roskomnadzor declined to comment on the matter.

The Russian edition of Forbes recalled that the messaging app was added to a list of foreign internet companies operating in Russia in November 2021, alongside other well-known global brands such as TikTok, Twitter (now X) and Apple.

The “landing law” requires online platforms with a daily audience exceeding 500,000 users to establish an authorized legal entity in Russia. Failure to comply with the obligation may result in various penalties, ranging from a ban on advertising and accepting payments to blocking access.

The magazine’s requests for comments from both the regulator and the messenger remained unanswered as well, leaving reports that Telegram is opening a Russian office without an official confirmation or denial.

‘100%’ – Durov rejects reports Telegram is registering in Russia

On Thursday, the Russian-born founder of Telegram posted only “100%” on his Telegram channel as a reply to his previous post, from early July, in which he described the news about the messenger leaving the Russian market as part of a “targeted campaign to discredit Telegram,” implying it’s a fake.

The short comment by the 40-year-old Pavel Durov was interpreted by both Russian and foreign media outlets publishing in the Russian language as a denial of the latest reports that his company is in the process of registering in Russia.

The initial information was also rejected by Durov’s former spokesman, Georgy Lobushkin, who quoted his own source and wrote on his Telegram channel:

“There are no such plans and there can’t be for many reasons.”

In an interview in June, discussing difficult relations with governments following his arrest in France, Durov made it clear he had no business in Russia or with the government administration under President Vladimir Putin.

Last month, lawmaker Anton Gorelkin noted that Telegram has not complied yet with the “landing law,” remarking it is “an entity that worries the state,” which, in turn, decided to compete with the platform by launching a “national messenger,” Forbes pointed out.

Putin signed a law to establish one at the end of June. According to an earlier statement by Russia’s Minister of Digital Development Maksut Shadayev, the new service will be based on the Max platform, developed by the popular Russian social media network VK. Formerly known as Vkontakte, VK was also co-founded by Durov almost two decades ago.

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