The Kremlin called on Telegram to pay attention to the use of the social network by terrorists

Press Secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov said that the Russian authorities do not plan to block the Telegram messenger. At the same time, the press secretary noted that the creator of the messenger, Pavel Durov, should pay attention to the use of the social network by terrorists.

“No, there are no such plans at the moment,” Dmitry Peskov said in an interview with Life in response to a corresponding question.

One of those detained for the attack on Crocus City Hall, Shamsidin Fariduni, said during interrogation that through Telegram he received an order from the “preacher’s assistant” to shoot people in exchange for 500 thousand rubles. Later RIA Novosti source reportedthat the four perpetrators of the terrorist attack in Crocus City Hall could have been recruited through the Telegram channel of the Afghan wing of the Islamic State (a terrorist group banned in Russia) – “Voice of Khorasan”. Now, according to the agency, this Telegram channel has been deleted.

Telegram’s daily reach among audiences over 12 years of age increased by almost 20% in 2023, according to Mediascope. The messenger took fourth place in the ranking of the most popular Internet resources. WhatsApp is in first place, Yandex is in second place, Google is in third place, VKontakte is in fifth place, and YouTube is in sixth place.

Anastasia Larina