Two Russian regions restrict the Telegram app due to security concerns.

(Reuters) – Authorities in two Russian districts have banned the Telegram messenger because of concern that it may be exploited by opponents, according to a regional digital development minister quoted by the TASS news agency on Saturday.

Dagestan and Chechnya are mostly Muslim territories in southern Russia, with intelligence services reporting an increase in militant Islamist operations.

“It (Telegram) is often used by enemies, an example being the riots at Makhachkala airport,” said Yuri Gamzatov, Dagestan’s digital development minister, adding that the decision to block the messenger was made at the federal level.

Gamzatov was referring to an anti-Israel riot in Dagestan in October 2023, in which hundreds of protesters stormed an airport and attempted to damage passengers on a flight from the Jewish state. There were no injuries among the passengers, and many people have been prosecuted in connection with the incident.

The plane’s arrival was reported on local Telegram channels, with some calling for anti-Semitic violence. Telegram condemned the event and said it will ban the channels.

Telegram did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the blocks in Russia.

Based in Dubai and founded by Russian-born Pavel Durov, the messenger has around 1 billion users and is popular in Russia, Ukraine, and other former Soviet nations.

Moscow tried but failed to shut down Telegram in 2018, and it has previously requested that the network hand over user data. Durov is now facing legal charges in France as part of an investigation into organized crime on the app.

Gamzatov, Dagestan’s minister, stated that Telegram may be unblocked in the future, but advised users to switch to other messengers in the meanwhile.