50 mn Russians use Telegram daily via VPNs despite ban: CEO Durov

Russian-born Telegram CEO Pavel Durov reacted after Russian authorities began blocking access to the platform in the country earlier this month. "Telegram was banned in Russia, yet over 50 million Russians still use it daily via VPNs," Durov said. "Government's [VPNs'] blocking attempts just triggered a massive banking failure. Cash briefly became…only payment method nationwide," he added.