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Tengrinews.kz – A few days ago, Telegram channels circulated a fake news story claiming that Telegram was leaving Russia. The information initially appeared as a joke in a satirical publication but was soon reposted by serious channels without any indication of its humorous origin, wrote the messenger’s founder, Pavel Durov, on his channel.
Durov said that they even had to add disclaimers under such posts in Telegram channels to debunk the rumor.
Some public pages even claimed that, in response, a fact-checking feature was launched on the channel.
Certain media outlets reported that, according to users, the fact-checking block is only available to Russian users.
On this topic, the website Factcheck.kz writes that the feature was actually introduced in May of last year, but it was not functional.
“In the example of the satirical publication cited by the outlet 'Kod Durova,' or rather in the fact-check note attached to it, no organization is mentioned as having verified the information. This means it may be a different or modified feature,” writes the author at Factcheck.kz.
Pavel Durov also refuted several other claims related to Telegram.
“Prior to this, several media outlets published false reports claiming that OSINT channels were blocked for political reasons. In reality, a few channels were temporarily taken down by automated scripts due to the publication of personal data. However, media reports continued to appear days after the incident—often without mentioning that the channels had already been unblocked,” he wrote.
Durov also commented on claims about Telegram’s IP addresses, calling the investigation “technically illiterate.” The reports suggested a potential threat to users.
“Although this publication was debunked multiple times by independent experts (for example, here), as in many similar cases, the rebuttal received far less attention than the original misleading report,” Durov added.
According to Pavel Durov, Telegram has been defending people’s right to privacy and free access to information for over 12 years, which often makes it “a target of media pressure from various sides.”
Durov did not rule out the possibility of “a deliberate campaign to discredit Telegram” and advised users to remain vigilant.
