Russia's Ministry of Internal Affairs has accused Telegram of refusing to cooperate with law enforcement authorities in combating drug propaganda.
Kirill Smurov, acting head of the Main Directorate for Drugs Control of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, made the announcement in statements reported by state news agency TASS. He said administrators of the instant messaging platform have failed to react to official proposals for cooperation submitted by the ministry.
Smurov also identified Telegram as a primary channel through which young people are drawn into narcotics offenses. He stated that the platform, alongside darknet networks, serves as a location for involving teenagers in drug-related crimes.
Previous fines over content removal
The messaging service, created by Russian entrepreneur Pavel Durov, is a cloud-based communication platform that enables users to broadcast to public channels and send encrypted messages. As a major digital platform operating in Russia, it is subject to federal communications oversight and domestic law enforcement requests.
The new claims follow a series of financial penalties imposed on Telegram by domestic courts for non-compliance with censorship and content removal demands. The platform was previously fined 3.8 million rubles in Russia after refusing to delete material characterized as fake news regarding the actions of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in the special military operation zone in Ukraine.
Prior to that sanction, Russian courts penalised Telegram with a fine of 11.4 million rubles. That earlier enforcement action was triggered by the company's refusal to delete extremist content and publications containing inaccurate information about the special military operation.
Regulatory enforcement in Russia
The Ministry of Internal Affairs functions as Russia's principal agency for internal security and drug control, regularly submitting compliance requests to technology services. The darknet refers to encrypted online networks that require specialized software to access, frequently targeted by law enforcement for illicit marketplace activity.
Russian authorities have progressively intensified legal demands on foreign and international digital services to remove restricted content. Platforms that fail to comply with official directives risk recurring court fines, administrative restrictions, or potential access blocking within the country.
