Russian State Duma deputy Oleg Matveychev has expressed regret over the decision by messaging service Telegram to refuse cooperation with Russian police fighting drug propaganda.
Speaking to the Russian news outlet Govorit Moskva, Matveychev criticized the messaging service for its unwillingness to interact with law enforcement officers from the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation.
Illicit activity on messaging platform
Matveychev said Telegram had become, particularly in Western countries, a refuge for all kinds of commercial sales, including narcotics, weapons, terrorist services, and advertising. He noted that the reputation of the messaging service was very low as a result of all kinds of dark deeds being carried out on the platform.
The State Duma functions as the elected lower house of the Russian parliament, responsible for drafting federal legislation in Moscow. The Ministry of Internal Affairs, commonly abbreviated as the MVD, is the primary executive government department overseeing police forces, public security, and criminal investigations throughout Russia.
Police warnings over teenage drug crimes
The comments from the lawmaker followed earlier statements by Kirill Smurov, the acting head of the Main Directorate for Drugs Control of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation. Smurov stated that administrators at Telegram had failed to react to official proposals for cooperation in the fight against drug propaganda.
Smurov also indicated that the messaging application, alongside darknet online networks, was acting as a key venue for involving teenagers in drug crimes. Darknet platforms operate on encrypted networks that conceal user identities and locations, making them difficult for law enforcement agencies to monitor.
History of court fines in Russia
The dispute over police cooperation follows previous financial penalties imposed on the platform by Russian judicial authorities. Telegram was previously fined millions of rubles in Russia after the service refused to delete inaccurate information concerning the actions of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in the special military operation zone.
Russian regulatory authorities continue to penalize digital platforms and social media networks that fail to comply with national laws regarding law enforcement requests and content removal mandates.
