MOSCOW — Telegram founder Pavel Durov said Saturday the messaging platform will adapt to restrictions in Russia, making its traffic harder to detect and block.In a statement, Durov said 65 million Russians continue to use Telegram daily via virtual private network (VPN) apps, with more than 50 million sending messages despite authorities slowing down the service.He said efforts to ban VPNs have pushed users toward workarounds rather than reducing usage.“Iran banned Telegram years ago… but got mass adoption of VPNs instead,” Durov said, adding that millions of users are now bypassing restrictions.Russia’s communications regulator slowed down Telegram in February under federal law, citing the company’s failure to comply with requests to remove restricted content.Authorities have also intensified pressure on foreign platforms, including restrictions on WhatsApp, while promoting a state-developed messaging app, “Max,” for wider adoption.Durov said the restrictions aim to push users toward state-controlled platforms, accusing authorities of creating new pretexts to limit access to Telegram.The platform remains widely used in Russia, including for communication across various sectors, despite increasing regulatory pressure.
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