A Moscow court has fined Telegram Messenger Inc. 7 million roubles (about $80,000) for failing to delete content deemed extremist, Russian state news agency TASS reported on Tuesday.
The ruling cited Telegram’s refusal to take down information and channels that allegedly encouraged terrorist attacks and called for protests aimed at overthrowing the Russian government. Specific examples included calls for violence on railway transport and messages purportedly aimed at aiding Ukrainian forces.
"Telegram Messenger Inc., being the owner of an information resource, failed to remove information or channels containing calls for extremist activity," TASS quoted from court documents.
Telegram did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment.
Founded by Russian-born Pavel Durov, the Dubai-based platform has close to 1 billion users and remains widely used across Russia, Ukraine, and several other former Soviet republics. It has become a critical tool for both official and opposition communication in wartime and crisis situations.
Durov himself has faced increasing scrutiny from Russian authorities. He returned to Dubai in March, following several months in France after his August 2024 arrest tied to investigations involving Telegram’s use for fraud, money laundering, and distribution of child abuse material.
Russia has previously clashed with Telegram over content moderation, encryption policies, and access to user data. Tuesday’s court decision marks the latest in a series of escalating efforts by the Kremlin to regulate digital platforms it deems hostile or subversive.
Iran suggested it would be "unreasonable" to proceed with talks to forge a permanent peace d...
U.S. President Donald Trump vented his frustration with NATO during a private meeting with its secretary-genera...
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday its military ships and aircraft will remain a...
Walt Disney is planning to cut up to 1,000 jobs in the coming weeks, with many of the reductions expected to af...
Israel pounded Lebanon with its heaviest strikes yet on Wednesday, killing hundreds of people and drawing a thr...
Iran suggested it would be "unreasonable" to proceed with talks to forge a permanent peace deal with the U.S. after Israel pounded Lebanon with its heaviest strikes yet on Wednesday, killing hundreds of people. The warning came from Iran's lead negotiator, parliament speaker Mohammed Bager Qalibaf.
U.S. President Donald Trump vented his frustration with NATO during a private meeting with its secretary-general, Mark Rutte, on Wednesday as relations in the military alliance reached a crisis point over the Iran war.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday its military ships and aircraft will remain around Iran and threatened that the U.S. will start "shooting" again unless Tehran fully complies with the deal reached with Washington.
Walt Disney is planning to cut up to 1,000 jobs in the coming weeks, with many of the reductions expected to affect its marketing division, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing sources familiar with the plans.
China and Russia vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution on Tuesday aimed at coordinating defensive efforts to protect commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, leaving no agreed international framework for securing the vital route.
Lebanon’s Hezbollah said it had stopped firing on northern Israel and Israeli forces on Wednesday as part of a two-week ceasefire in the Middle East brokered between the United States and Iran. However, a Hezbollah lawmaker warned that the pause could collapse if Tel Aviv does not adhere to it.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Iran and the United States, along with their allies, have agreed to an immediate two-week ceasefire covering all areas, but Israel says the deal excludes Lebanon. Tel Aviv says the U.S. is committed to achieving shared goals in upcoming negotiations.
Recent U.S. complaints about NATO allies and threats to quit the alliance are pushing European countries to seek alternative security arrangements, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said on Tuesday.
South Korea has welcomed a rare conciliatory response from North Korea, calling it a “meaningful step” towards easing military tensions on the Korean peninsula.
Greece will ban access to social media for children under 15 from 1 January 2027, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Wednesday, citing rising anxiety, sleep problems and the addictive design of online platforms.
Trade discussions between China and the U.S. are expected to remain virtual for now, with no major investment initiatives planned before a potential meeting between Xi Jinping and Donald Trump, according to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
The Russian T-90M tank is worth an estimated $4.5 million and was designed to dominate the battlefield. Yet this steel giant has repeatedly been destroyed by something far smaller, faster and thousands of times cheaper: the drone.
North Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles towards its east coast on Wednesday (8 April), South Korea’s military said, in a fresh show of force that underscored rising tensions despite brief signs of a possible thaw between the two sides.
The leader of Taiwan's largest opposition party used her first full day in mainland China to publicly pledge reconciliation, invoking the spirit of her party's founder, Sun Yat-sen, to call for unity whilst surprisingly praising the communist mainland’s developmental achievements.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment