An attempt by Russian authority to block Telegram flopped after the messaging app crashed the country’s internet.
Russian officials had instructions to switch off Telegram and after the app’s management learnt,they started playing cat and mouse with the country’s IP systems. Frustrations started when Telegram repeatedly switched IP addresses, prompting the 13 million Russians currently on Telegram to rely on VPN network.The messaging app eventually moved their IP addresses to Google Cloud and amazon Web Services, something that left Russian authorities heavily frustrated.
After playing what the New York Times called “whack-a-mole” with thousands of individual IP addresses, the regulatory agency Roskomnadzor ham-handedly began blacking out entire subnets. The entire Russian internet quickly spiraled into chaos, with hundreds of unrelated businesses unable to access the web. Among those affected was Viber, a Kremlin-approved messaging service, as well as museums, car dealerships, and schools.
Eventually,Russia gave up on their plans and allowed Telegram users to continue enjoying the app’s services.