Telegram remains frequently used in Russia and Iran despite restrictions, with VPN bypasses driving the expansion of "digital resistance."

BlockBeats message, April 4: Telegram founder Pavel Durov posted in his personal channel that although Telegram has been restricted in Russia for a long time, the data shows that about 65 million Russian users still use the app every day via VPNs and other methods, with more than 50 million people keeping their daily messaging active.

Meanwhile, the Russian government has continued to intensify its crackdown on VPNs, but the related measures face technical challenges at the implementation level. Reports say that, during recent network-blocking actions, payment system anomalies even occurred at one point, and some regions briefly reverted to cash transactions.

Similar situations have also occurred in Iran. Since the ban on Telegram, authorities had originally hoped to drive the adoption of domestically developed, regulated communication apps, but the result instead prompted a large-scale surge in VPN usage, creating a widespread “digital bypass” phenomenon.

Analysts believe that under a tightly regulated environment, users’ demand for communication freedom and privacy continues to exist, and technical confrontations are escalating. As more and more developers participate in building VPNs and proxy tools, the power struggle between access to information and regulation is further intensifying.