The Kremlin’s tightening grip on Russian life has a new target: the country’s most popular messaging app.

Ordinary Russians and even pro-Kremlin hawks have offered rare public pushback against the campaign to throttle Telegram, warning it could backfire, not just at home but for Russia’s military in Ukraine.

The app is woven into the daily existence of those who support and oppose the government alike. But the Kremlin is instead pushing people to its new “national” messenger MAX, which many fear could be used to surveil them as part of a deepening crackdown on freedoms since the invasion of Ukraine. Those fears have been amplified by a wave of mobile internet outages, including recent disruptions in Moscow, which authorities have justified as necessary for security.

For months, Russians have complained that Telegram was working slower and more sporadically, and this week users began reporting a major slowdown.

NBC News spoke to ordinary Russians, pro-regime figures and human rights activists about the country’s new digital reality.

‘Criminal’ throttling of Telegram

Millions in Russia use Telegram daily for private communication and crucial information.

Russian officials, Kremlin propagandists, war bloggers, businesses and celebrities are on the app. More than a messenger, it’s an ecosystem for everything from updates on incoming Ukrainian drones to general news and commentary.

But authorities have increasingly presented Telegram as a breeding ground for terrorism and criminal activity, with the country’s communications regulator restricting the app and targeting its Russian founder. Similar grounds have already been used to restrict other messaging apps, including the Meta-owned WhatsApp.

The latest campaign has drawn criticism from even the most avid supporters of President Vladimir Putin.

Pro-Kremlin gamer and activist Grigory Korolyov, who also goes by the nickname GrishaPutin, uses Telegram to help fundraise for the Russian army — in exchange for a donation, he offers stickers that Russian soldiers on the front lines then put on their artillery shells and fire at Ukraine.

Korolyov, 19, calls himself a “cyber warrior” in Putin’s so-called special military operation, the term the Kremlin uses for its war. Despite his professed patriotism, the St. Petersburg native told NBC News he doesn’t understand the logic of restricting or banning Telegram. In fact, he thinks it’s “criminal.”

The app has become a hub for a “patriotically leaning” audience and pro-war commentators, he said in a phone interview, and is used by thousands of people like him to fundraise for the Russian army.

“I can only assume that there is a lofty goal of making everything sovereign, but what’s happening right now is just sabotage,” Korolyov said.

Another activist, Olga Krygina, gathers humanitarian aid — clothes, water and medical supplies — for Russian troops and civilians in occupied areas of Ukraine, which she calls Russia’s “new territories” in line with the Kremlin’s rhetoric.

Originally from Ukraine’s eastern city of Donetsk, Krygina, 54, now lives in St. Petersburg and told NBC News in a phone interview that Telegram has been effective in helping her organize and deliver the aid. But Krygina said she and her fellow volunteers have been growing their presence on MAX, anticipating a possible ban.

Krygina said she doesn’t have any issue with using the new national messenger, though she said a Telegram shutdown “won’t be pleasant.”

She said she accepts the Russian government’s move toward banning Telegram, because “our secret services know better.”

The Kremlin says Telegram is not complying with Russian laws and not cooperating with authorities to stop serious crimes it says are being perpetrated on the app. It has confirmed to NBC News reports in two Russian newspapers that Pavel Durov, the Russian-born tech mogul who founded Telegram in 2013, is being investigated for “assisting terrorism activity.” No official charges have been filed.

Durov dismissed the case against him, calling it “a sad spectacle of a state afraid of its own people” in a post on X last month.

“Russia is restricting access to Telegram to force its citizens onto a state-controlled app built for surveillance and political censorship,” Durov said.

It’s not just Russia that has leveled these accusations, though. Durov was arrested in France in 2024 and charged with enabling various forms of criminality on his app. He was permitted to leave France last year after pledging to “significantly improve” the site’s moderation of criminal activity.

Telegram did not respond to requests for comment from NBC News.

Roskomnadzor, the Russian communications regulator, has not officially said it plans to ban Telegram. Asked about the most recent slowdown on Tuesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told NBC News he had “nothing to add” and was not aware of any contacts with the messenger’s management.

‘Forced’ alternative

In slushy streets next to central Moscow’s Pushkinskaya Square, people were reluctant to talk about a possible ban and whether they would consider switching to MAX. Most only wanted to speak their minds without sharing their full names, as is usually the case in Russia, where dissent is punished.

“Unfortunately, it’s being forced, and I don’t like it,” said Varvara about the new national messenger. “That’s why I don’t install it.”

Artem, 44, said he has installed MAX, but has experienced connectivity problems, blaming its developers for making a “crap” product. He said he was not worried about security, as he feels Telegram is just as unsafe.

Russia tried to ban Telegram for failing to provide the FSB state security service with its encryption keys in 2018, but was unsuccessful.

Instead, the messenger continued to grow in popularity and is widely used by Russian state officials and Kremlin propagandists. It’s equally as popular among Kremlin critics.

Dmitrii Zair-Bek with Pervy Otdel, a human rights project helping people facing politically motivated charges in Russia, said they use Telegram to establish “primary contact” with Russians who need their help.

“They want to block Telegram because of organizations like us — independent information sources, not controlled by the Kremlin,” he said. Zair-Bek, who is currently based outside Russia, expects many inside the country will continue using Telegram, however, by installing a virtual private network (VPN) — technology that has allowed Russians to bypass online restrictions.

Some people also told NBC News they were considering buying another phone for downloading the state-backed messenger if there is pressure to do so. The app’s creators say the number of users has already reached 100 million, or nearly 70% of Russia’s population.

“I only plan to switch to MAX if there is no other way,” said Maria from Moscow, who did not want her last name shared because of security concerns.

But Zair-Bek is worried it will be difficult for his organization to reach less tech-savvy people, so it is considering having some presence on MAX.

The “national messenger” is similar in functionality to Telegram, but it’s also integrated with Russia’s government services portal and can be used as a form of digital ID.

As of September, it must be preinstalled on all electronic devices in Russia. Officials are increasingly redirecting their Telegram audiences there, with one regional governor alerting Ukrainian drone attacks only on MAX.

But users have been reporting bugs and security concerns, rating the app poorly and sharing online memes about pressure to use it.

‘Shooting itself in the foot’

The potential Telegram ban has been harshly criticized by Russia’s popular military bloggers, who say the army relies on the platform for battlefield communications in Ukraine.

“For mobile fire groups assigned to combat [drones], Telegram has long been the only (and again, in all caps, ONLY) communication channel,” wrote influential military channel Two Majors last month.

Some bloggers reported this week, citing sources on the front lines, that Russian soldiers were being told to remove Telegram from their phones or face punishment. NBC News could not independently verify these reports.

Firebrand politician and ardent Putin supporter Sergei Mironov has also been left fuming, calling Russian authorities “idiots” for slowing down Telegram. Russian troops “often have nothing” but Telegram to communicate, Mironov said. “Don’t deprive them of what helps them defeat the enemy and save their lives.”

The Russian military in Ukraine only uses “standard communications systems” not linked to messengers including Telegram, Russia’s Defense Ministry insisted last month.

The Kremlin has also resisted the outrage, with Putin receiving a report at a recent public event from a commander of a communications battalion who said there were “no problems” with the army’s communication systems and that Telegram was a “hostile messenger.”

But military logistics specialists told NBC News the Russian army does rely on Telegram for tactical communication, and the Kremlin doesn’t have much of a viable alternative.

The Russian military is likely to try replacing it with MAX, but there is no data yet on how effective it could be on the battlefield, said Ronald Ti, an expert in military logistics at King’s College London.

The Kremlin has “prioritized regime security over tactical effectiveness,” Ti said.