Kathrine Frich
Durov believes these efforts are just an expensive illusion.
When governments try to lock down the internet, they usually claim they are protecting their citizens from foreign threats.
They want total control. Yet, a dramatic new twist shows how building a digital wall can backfire completely.
Accidental spy boost
Pavel Durov, the billionaire founder of the messaging app Telegram, recently lashed out at Russia’s strict web censorship. He argued that the Kremlin’s digital policies are failing. Even worse, he believes they are accidentally helping American spies.
The criticism came just days after Apple pulled a Russian state-backed app called Max from its platform. Durov warned that switching to domestic software solves nothing. According to The Moscow Times, he explained that any app running on Western operating systems remains completely vulnerable to outside eyes.
On his personal channel, Durov wrote that “censorship and internet blocks have only pushed Russia further away from ‘digital sovereignty’.” He claims these systems are deeply unsafe. Specifically, he noted that phones running iOS or Android remain “exposed to targeted U.S. surveillance and censorship through backdoors and app stores.”
Fake digital sovereignty
Russia has spent years trying to isolate its internet network to reduce its reliance on foreign technology. However, Durov believes these efforts are just an expensive illusion.
He posted that the current setup is “nothing but Potemkin villages with a distinct flavor of corruption.” For him, it is “just changing the packaging without changing the core reality.”
His fiery comments follow a recent announcement from Russia’s FSB security service. The agency accused major web hosting companies of helping Western spies monitor top Russian officials through their iPhones. Still, Durov blames the Kremlin for triggering a massive brain drain.
“The Russian official who broke the internet and threw the country back by decades under the guise of ‘digital sovereignty’ deserves a national security medal, from the U.S.,” Durov added.
Private network battle
Meanwhile, life has become significantly harder for ordinary Telegram users inside Russia because local authorities have started slowing down speeds and blocking calls. To get around these frustrating technical blocks, people must rely on virtual private networks. It is a constant digital cat-and-mouse game.
Russian officials argue that the tight restrictions are necessary due to security concerns and ongoing cyberattacks. But Telegram has rejected claims that it allows criminal activity. Instead, the company says the Kremlin is simply trying to force citizens onto the state-backed Max app, which critics say was built for mass surveillance.
Sources: The Moscow Times, AFP
