VPN Blocking In Russia Caused A Massive Payment System Failure

• 4.04.2026, 12:34

The consequences were felt by tens of millions of Russians.

Telegram founder Pavel Durov said that attempts by Russian authorities to block VPNs caused a large-scale failure in Russia's payment system.

This was reported by Reuters.

Durov noted that the blocking attempts did not produce the result expected by the authorities, but led to a large-scale disruption.

"Their blocking attempts simply caused a large-scale disruption in the banking system," he emphasized.

The problems with the payment system caused chaos for some shoppers. In particular, the Moscow metro temporarily let people through turnstiles without paying, and a regional zoo asked visitors to pay in cash.

In his statement, the Telegram founder also congratulated Russians on returning to the "digital resistance".

"Welcome back to the Digital Resistance, my Russian brothers and sisters. The whole nation is now mobilized to bypass these absurd restrictions," he concluded.

Russian authorities are preparing to restrict the work of Telegram on the territory of the Russian Federation. Against this background, the country is strengthening control over the digital space and at the same time promoting the so-called "national messenger" MAX as an alternative to the usual services.

But even within the Russian system itself, it is treated without confidence. Among the reasons for this are fears of total surveillance by the FSB, due to which the new service is perceived as a tool of control rather than a secure way of communication.