Telegram Founder: Russia Caused a Problem in Local Payment System Due to VPN Network Blocking

SadaNews - Pavel Durov, the founder of the Telegram app, said on Saturday that Russia's attempt to block virtual private networks (VPNs) has led to a problem in a local payment system, adding that tens of millions of Russians are now resisting digital controls.

This problem caused chaos on Friday for some shoppers, forcing the Moscow Metro to allow entry through its gates without payment, while a regional zoo had to request cash payments from visitors.

Durov stated via his Telegram channel: "The blocking attempts they made just caused a massive banking failure. Welcome back to digital resistance, my Russian brothers and sisters, the entire nation is mobilized now to overcome these absurd restrictions."

Blocking Mobile Internet Services

Russia has repeatedly blocked mobile internet services in what diplomats describe as a "major crackdown," granting authorities broad powers to cut off mass communications and disrupt messaging services and virtual private networks.

Russia strongly promotes the Max service, which describes itself as a "national messaging service," and this service is owned by a company headed by the son of one of President Vladimir Putin's top aides.

Durov added that Iran banned the Telegram app years ago, and the result was similar to what is happening in Russia today. The government hoped the public would collectively switch to locally supervised messaging apps, but in reality, the use of virtual private networks (VPNs) has spread widely. Today, around 50 million members of the "digital resistance" in Iran join more than 50 million in Russia.