Statement by the Yabloko Chairman, 11.02.2026

Photo by Sergei Konkov, Kommersant

Roskomnadzor [the Russian Federal Supervision Agency for Information Technologies and Communications] has begun major blockings of Telegram, citing its “failure to comply with Russian law” and that the alleged restrictions are allegedly needed to protect citizens from fraud and create conditions for preventing extremism and terrorism.

We are unaware of any citizens who would demand such measures to “protect themselves from fraud”, which, as we know, is most often committed not through instant messaging apps, but by telephone.

Meanwhile, in the vast majority of cases, the fraudsters allegedly cannot be found, and we understand why: law enforcement is focused on searching for “extremists” on social media and “monitoring” the posts of opposition politicians, including the posts from many years ago.

We believe that, under demagogic pretexts that have no basis in reality, Russian citizens are being deprived of yet another opportunity to freely, accessibly, and uncensoredly communicate with their families and friends, and receive information about events in the country and the world. They are also being forced to switch to the “state-owned messenger” MAX, which is controlled by security forces and, as many rightly believe, does not ensure the privacy of correspondence guaranteed by the Constitution.

We demand an end to restrictions on citizens’ lawful rights to use convenient means of communication, the lifting of all restrictions on Telegram and other messengers, and the fulfillment of constitutional guarantees for the freedom of information for Russian citizens.

Nikolai Rybakov,

Yabloko Chairman