Durov pledges advanced traffic obfuscation to sustain Digital Resistance after nationwide payment blackout
Telegram founder Pavel Durov asserted that tens of millions of Russians continue to access the platform via VPNs despite escalating state restrictions. In a statement released following a massive systemic banking disruption, Durov vowed to upgrade Telegram's technology to make its traffic nearly impossible for regulators to detect or block.
The founder highlighted that approximately 65 million Russians utilize the app daily through encrypted tunnels, with over 50 million sending messages every 24 hours. He linked recent government attempts to throttle VPN services to a significant technical failure that paralyzed the nation’s financial infrastructure last Friday.
According to Durov, the collateral damage from these censorship efforts was so severe that cash briefly became the only functional payment method across the country. He characterized the situation as a counterproductive move by authorities that has only served to mobilize the population toward digital workaround tools.
Drawing a parallel to internet restrictions in Iran, Durov noted that citizens typically migrate toward VPNs rather than adopting state-controlled messaging alternatives. He officially welcomed Russian users back to the "Digital Resistance," noting that thousands of citizens are now hosting their own private proxies and VPN servers.
The platform remains committed to evolving its infrastructure to bypass state-level interference. Durov promised that Telegram will continue to implement sophisticated obfuscation techniques, ensuring the service remains resilient against what he described as "absurd" regulatory constraints.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
