For almost three months now, Telegram in Russia has been working at half capacity. Media files take several minutes to load, video messages freeze halfway through, and voice calls have been unavailable since August of last year. All this time, users have been wondering — will it get worse, or have we hit rock bottom? A fresh statement from the State Duma gives a surprisingly encouraging answer. Those who have been following what’s been happening with the Telegram blocking in April were probably expecting the worst.
Telegram restrictions are being lifted thanks to MAX
How Many Users Does Max Have in Russia
Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy Andrey Svintsov stated that the number of users of the Max messenger in Russia has already surpassed Telegram’s audience. According to him, this fundamentally changes the situation — the authorities’ main goal was to get citizens to switch to domestic messengers, and this transition has taken place.
The growth in MAX users has reduced the pressure on Telegram. Keep installing. Image: myseldon.com
The dynamics of recent months are truly impressive. According to Mediascope, in January 2026 Telegram was the undisputed leader — with about 96 million users per month. Max was in third place at the time with about 74 million, behind WhatsApp as well. But by February the picture began to change: Telegram lost some of its audience, while Max grew to 77.5 million. By March, according to the same Mediascope, Max moved to second place in average daily reach. And given the continued slowdown of Telegram in March and April, the gap has likely narrowed to a minimum or disappeared entirely.
Not long ago, Telegram in Russia unexpectedly started working without a VPN, but with caveats — however, this had little effect on the overall trend.
Fines for Using Telegram in Russia
The most important thing in Svintsov’s statement is not the numbers, but the conclusions drawn from them. The deputy directly told the publication “Podyom” that he sees no reason for criminalizing Telegram use or any other tightening of restrictions. The current measures, in his assessment, are sufficient.
This statement came against the backdrop of FSB news about the detention of seven people whom the security services linked to recruitment through Telegram. It would seem like the perfect reason to tighten the screws even further. But Svintsov reasoned differently: since users are massively switching to Max, the burden on security services for monitoring Telegram is naturally decreasing. The fewer people in an uncontrolled messenger — the easier it is to track potential threats. And since the problem is solving itself, why push harder?
What Telegram Needs for Legal Operation in Russia
At the same time, Svintsov emphasized that there are no obstacles to Telegram’s legal operation in Russia. But there is one condition — the messenger’s management must want to legalize the business in the country. The deputy expressed hope that Pavel Durov’s company would “make the right decision” and added: all it takes is “simply the desire of the management to operate legally.”
It’s hard to believe that Pavel Durov will fulfill all the demands of Russian authorities
It’s interesting how much the rhetoric has changed. Just in March, the same Svintsov warned that even VPNs wouldn’t save users from restrictions and compared Telegram to Viber and ICQ — implying that people would forget about it and switch. Back then, he also warned about the possible designation of the messenger as an extremist organization. Now the tone is completely different — no threats, just an invitation to dialogue. Apparently, the growth of Max has truly taken the edge off the issue.
What This Means for iPhone Users
If you’re still using Telegram through a VPN — you can relax a little. At least in the near future, there will definitely be no fines for using the messenger. Current restrictions — slowdowns, media loading issues — will most likely remain at the same level. But new waves of blocking or legislative bans should not be expected.
However, it’s still worth installing the MAX messenger if you haven’t done so already. The app is free, available in the App Store, and works stably without a VPN. At minimum, it’s a reliable backup communication channel in case things get even worse with Telegram. At maximum, it’s the primary messenger that tens of millions of Russians have already switched to.
