Russia fines Telegram app $432,366 for failing to remove banned content, Ifax reports
FILE PHOTO: A person poses for a photo while holding a smartphone next to a screen showing the crossed logo of Telegram messaging app against the backdrop of the Russian state flag, in this illustration taken February 12, 2026. REUTERS/Ramil Sitdikov/Illustration/File Photo
MOSCOW, March 16 : Russia has fined the Telegram messaging app 35 million roubles ($432,366) for failing to remove banned content, Russia's Interfax news agency reported on Monday.
Authorities have repeatedly accused Telegram, one of the most popular messaging apps in Russia, of allowing itself to be used as a platform for illegal and extremist content.
Telegram rejects the charge and has accused Russia of trying to throttle its services in order to force people to switch to a state-run app called MAX.
($1 = 80.9500 roubles)
