Digital Resistance: Russia's Crackdown on Telegram and VPNs

Pavel Durov, the billionaire founder of Telegram, announced that Russia's attempts to block Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) have disrupted a domestic payment system. This action impacts tens of millions of Russians resisting digital controls as the government continues to put constraints on mobile internet and messaging services.

On Friday, the disruptions caused chaos such as free entry in Moscow's metro and a zoo requesting cash payments. Some Russian media reports were deleted after suggesting state intervention was behind the outages, which were linked to blocking specific sites or VPNs for security reasons amid tensions with Ukraine.

Russia has previously slowed down Telegram, a platform used by over a billion users including in Ukraine, under allegations of espionage and terrorism. The Kremlin encourages the use of the state-backed MAX messenger app, inciting resistance among the public who see this as forced digital control.