I’m in Russia, and have the feeling that someone has turned the absurdity dial right up to the max over the past couple of weeks. I had a similar feeling in the early days of the invasion, then again when mobilization was announced and when Alexei Navalny was killed. Many of my friends and colleagues share this feeling.

And on Instagram, I’ve come across dozens of videos in which Russians complain that they can no longer tolerate what is happening in the country. 

Public discontent has accumulated for a whole host of reasons over the past few weeks. Tax hikes for businesses have led to a sharp rise in prices. Moscow has experienced first-hand what it means to live without mobile internet, something people in less central regions have already had to endure for months. In Siberia, the authorities have been seizing cows from farmers en masse and slaughtering them under the pretext of a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak.

But the main catalyst was the unexpected blocking of Telegram.

Since the start of April, the messaging app has stopped working without a VPN, which the authorities are restricting access to and reportedly considering banning. Meanwhile, the Federal Antimonopoly Service has warned that advertising on Telegram will soon be banned.

With this heavy-handed ban, the Kremlin has angered even its long-standing supporters. It is difficult to overstate just how deeply Telegram is woven into the daily routine of the average Russian.

According to a study by MTS AdTech, the number of unique Telegram users in Russia stood at 105 million in November 2025. That is almost 72% of the country’s population.

Telegram hosted neighborhood’ chat groups. People used it to rent flats, sell items, advertise their services, coordinate business and run blogs. Emigrants used it to keep in touch with their families, among many other........

© The Moscow Times