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.
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The U.S. and Israeli air war against Iran widened on Monday, with no end in sight as Israel attacked Lebanon in response to strikes by Hezbollah and Iran kept up its attacks on Gulf states that host U.S. military bases.
Iran and its proxies could target the U.S. with attacks in response to the Saturday killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei by Israeli and U.S. strikes, according to a U.S. intelligence assessment reviewed by Reuters.
The U.S. embassy in Riyadh was hit by two drones resulting in a limited fire and some material damage, the kingdom's defence ministry said in a post on X on Tuesday, citing an initial assessment.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that the U.S. and Israel's war against Iran may take "some time" but it will not take years.
Follow the latest developments and global reaction after the U.S. and Israel launched “major combat operations” in Iran, prompting retaliation from Tehran.
Saudi Arabia’s state oil giant Saudi Aramco closed its Ras Tanura refinery on Monday following an Iranian drone strike, an industry source told Reuters as Tehran retaliated across the Gulf after a U.S.-Israeli attack on Iranian targets over the weekend.
The Kremlin is utilising the recent United States and Israeli military strikes on Iran to validate its ongoing war in Ukraine. Russian officials are pointing to the escalation in the Middle East as evidence that Western nations do not adhere to international rules.
The Middle East crisis intensifies after the deadly attack on the compound of the Supreme Leader of Iran Ali Khamenei on Saturday that killed him, other family members and senior figures. Iran has launched retaliatory strikes on U.S. targets in the region.
Ayatollah Alireza Arafi has moved into a pivotal constitutional role following the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, becoming the clerical member of Iran’s temporary leadership council under Article 111 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney arrived in Australia on Tuesday (3 March), aiming to bolster relations between the two so-called "middle powers" amid what he has called a "rupture" in world order.
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton told lawmakers that President Donald Trump told him he had "some great times" with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein before their relationship soured, according to a video released on Monday (2 March).
The U.S.-Iran crisis has entered its third day, with further strikes reported across the Middle East and the death toll rising. Oil prices have surged to levels last seen during the Covid-19 pandemic, raising fears of economic disruption and higher prices worldwide.
The UK said it's allowing the U.S. to use its bases for defensive strikes against Iran amid escalating missile attacks, after a suspected drone strike hit a British airbase in southern Cyprus, causing limited damage.
The Kremlin is utilising the recent United States and Israeli military strikes on Iran to validate its ongoing war in Ukraine. Russian officials are pointing to the escalation in the Middle East as evidence that Western nations do not adhere to international rules.
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