Russia's censor gives Apple an ultimatum on Telegram

Russia’s federal censor says it’s ordered Apple to delete Telegram from its App Store in Russia, and demanded that it stop sending Telegram’s push notifications to users in Russia, threatening to “take action” against iOS services, if the U.S. tech giant refuses to comply within a month.

On May 25, Roskomnadzor head Alexander Zharov said his agency is in talks with Apple and Google to remove Telegram from their app stores. “They stick to one position, and we hold to another,” Zharov explained, describing the negotiations as a “legal dialogue” that he’s sure will “lead to results.”

Largely without success, Roskomnadzor has been trying to cut access to the instant messenger Telegram since April 16. According to one report in April, Telegram’s audience in Russia surged like never before after the government started trying to block it.