Europe Asia News

Gorelkin wrote, "There is a very high likelihood that the messenger owned by the extremist organization known as Meta will be included on the list of software from unfriendly countries subject to restrictions, developed at the direction of the president."

According to the deputy, 68% of Russians use WhatsApp daily. Telegram ranks second in terms of daily access with 55%, although its jurisdiction is not entirely clear yet.

Regarding Telegram, Gorelkin said, "The country listed in the RKN registry is the British Virgin Islands, but the headquarters of Pavel Durov's company is located in the friendly United Arab Emirates. Personally, I believe that Telegram will not be included in this list, especially if it complies with Russian legislation and proves its willingness to remain in the market."

The deputy added, "We are expecting the implementation of unique functions discussed during the review of the relevant draft law: user verification through 'Gosuslugi', integration with other public services, support for digital identity, electronic signature, and more."

Russian President Vladimir Putin had instructed the government to introduce additional restrictions by September 1 on the use of software from unfriendly countries, including communication services, in Russia.

The President also called for an increase in the use of domestic software in all sectors, particularly in public administration. According to Putin, this is also essential for ensuring national security.