00:00Russia is stepping up its crackdown on the messaging app Telegram.
00:05The Kremlin has launched an investigation into the platform's billionaire founder Pavel Durov
00:11over alleged links to terrorism.
00:13Officials also say Telegram has committed multiple violations,
00:17claiming the move is a response to the company's alleged failure to cooperate.
00:23A state newspaper citing Russia's Federal Security Service
00:27accused Telegram of being a tool for hybrid threats used by NATO, Ukraine, radicals and terrorists.
00:35The platform has repeatedly denied the claims.
00:38Moscow has been tightening controls for months,
00:41slowing calls, briefly blocking access for some users,
00:44while pushing Russians toward a state-backed alternative called MAX.
00:49Durov, who left Russia in 2014, accused Moscow of restricting Telegram
00:54to push users towards a state-controlled app built for surveillance and censorship.
00:59With more than one billion users,
01:02Telegram remains a key source of news in both Russia and Ukraine.
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