Daghestan authorities admit Russia is blocking Telegram

During a press conference on Saturday, Daghestani Minister of Digital Development Yuri Gamzatov revealed that the decision to block the social media and messaging service Telegram in Daghestan and Chechnya was made at the federal level because of fears that the application could be used by ‘enemies’.

Gamzatov cited the events of October 2023, when antisemitic riots took place at Makhachkala airport. At that time, hundreds of protesters stormed the airport in an attempt to attack passengers arriving on a flight from Tel Aviv. Authorities claim that information about the arrival of the flight was disseminated through local Telegram channels, where calls for violence were published. No passengers were injured in the incident, but authorities have opened criminal cases against the rioters.

After these events, Telegram management condemned the attack and blocked the channels that were spreading calls for violence, in particular, the local media channel Morning of Daghestan.

Problems with access to Telegram in Daghestan, Chechnya, and Ingushetia became publicised as early as the end of October 2024. At that time, the largest internet provider in Daghestan, Ellko, explained the disruptions as an exercise by Roskomnadzor — Russia’s communications regulator — to ‘work out scenarios for disabling access to the foreign segment of the network’.

Amid reports of Ingushetia, Chechnya, and Daghestan being disconnected from the world wide web last December, Russian Digital Development Minister Maksut Shadaev claimed there were ‘no problems with communications’ in these republics.

According to the Daghestani newspaper Novoye Delo, the federal authorities may use Daghestan, Chechnya, and Ingushetia as test sites for disconnecting from foreign internet, creating in the North Caucasus an analogue of China’s Golden Shield system. Roskomnadzor announced the existence of such plans in mid-November.

Telegram, founded by Russian entrepreneur Pavel Durov and based in Dubai, has about 1 billion users worldwide. The app is widely used in Russia despite previous attempts to block it, including in 2018, when Russian authorities attempted to restrict access to Telegram by demanding that the company provide user data.

Gamzatov noted that in the future it is possible that the Telegram block will be lifted, but at the moment he recommended that users switch to alternative messengers — in particular, he suggested using the Russian social network Vkontakte for correspondence. Another popular messaging app, Whatsapp, is also effectively banned in Russia — it belongs to Meta, a company recognised by Russia as extremist.

Telegram has yet to comment on the situation.

Ingush and Chechen authorities have also yet to comment. At the same time, officials from these republics continue to use Telegram to run their channels.

https://oc-media.org/cancelled-rap-concert-sparks-freedom-of-speech-debate-in-Daghestan/