With a thriving MAX messenger available, alternative messaging apps are going through tough times. Already, not a single direct competitor to the domestic platform works in Russia. In the middle of the month, a total block of Telegram began, and on March 31, users of Pavel Durov’s messenger received a message saying: “Today is the last chance to pay for Telegram Premium.” What does this mean, and what fate awaits what was once one of the most popular apps in the country?
Telegram sent a mysterious message to Russian users
Can You Still Buy Telegram Premium?
The message about the last chance to pay for Telegram Premium appeared for almost all Russian users of the messenger on the night of March 31. Additionally, the app’s developers sent people a similar notification through service messages, which states the following:
In the near future, subscribing to Telegram Premium may become technically impossible in your region.
Under this pretext, the messenger offers to buy Telegram Premium for a 2-year term at 2,990 ₽, which is an obvious saving, since the standard subscription fee is 299 ₽/month. But what’s the catch?
Telegram offers to subscribe in advance
The messenger started sending subscription offers against the backdrop of reports about Telegram being blocked on April 1. Additionally, there are rumors about Pavel Durov’s project being designated as extremist, in which case the app’s developers would be forced to disable the ability for Russian users to make purchases.
Will Telegram Be Blocked on April 1?
De facto, Telegram is already blocked in Russia. While previously only calls were restricted in Russia, at the end of 2025 the messenger began to be throttled, and in mid-March 2026 — its full blocking began.
Already, millions of people find that Telegram doesn’t work — chats don’t open and messages don’t load, making interaction with the messenger practically useless. All of this is the final stage of the campaign against Durov’s app, which didn’t start today or yesterday.
Criminal Case Against Pavel Durov
In addition to Telegram being blocked in Russia, a criminal case may be opened against the messenger’s founder under Part 1.1 of Article 205.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation — “Facilitating Terrorist Activity.” This was first reported by Rossiyskaya Gazeta and Komsomolskaya Pravda.
Pavel Durov confirmed the reports from Russian media, writing on February 24, 2026, in his Telegram channel:
Russia has opened a criminal case against me for “aiding terrorism.”
At the time of publication, no official statements from investigative authorities had been released. But even the mere existence of such rumors speaks to the bleak future of Telegram in Russia.
Will Telegram Be Designated as Extremist?
The opening of a criminal case against Pavel Durov could serve as grounds for designating Telegram as an extremist organization. In that case, paying for a subscription or making other in-app purchases would be treated as financing extremist activity and punishable under Article 282.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.
Until Telegram is officially designated as extremist, paying for subscriptions and making other purchases will not be punishable. Does this mean that a “new era” for the messenger’s users will begin on April 1? Not at all. Simply due to previously published media reports, this date has become symbolic, and the platform’s administration, with its characteristic irony, is using it to promote a paid product among Russian users.
