Russia’s VPN crackdown briefly disrupts banking system, says Telegram CEO

Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of Telegram, claimed that Russia’s attempts to block VPN services temporarily disabled the country’s banking system.

Durov made the statements on his social media account, CE Report quotes Anadolu Agency.

Pointing out that Telegram is banned in Russia, Durov said that despite the ban, 65 million people in the country continue to use the app through VPN services.

He noted that the Russian government has tried for years to block VPNs, saying, “Their blocking attempts led to a massive banking crisis. Yesterday, cash briefly became the only payment method nationwide.”

Durov also mentioned that Iran has banned Telegram, but due to VPN usage, results similar to Russia have been achieved. “Now the entire country is taking action to bypass these absurd restrictions. Thousands are setting up VPNs and proxies. We will continue to adapt. We will make it harder to detect and block Telegram traffic,” he said.

Yesterday, many banking apps in Russia experienced access issues, and payment terminals were temporarily disabled.

Alongside Telegram, other international apps such as WhatsApp and YouTube have been blocked in Russia for allegedly violating local laws.