State Duma Lawmaker Rebukes Colleagues for Fueling Telegram Ban Rumors

State Duma Lawmaker Rebukes Colleagues for Fueling Telegram Ban Rumors

A senior lawmaker in Russia’s lower-house State Duma has criticized his colleagues for amplifying threats in the media about alleged plans to block Telegram and WhatsApp, saying Tuesday that only state media regulators have the authority to issue statements about internet restrictions. “Speculating about blocks is pointless and using such a sensitive topic just to boost one’s media citations is dubious,” said Sergei Boyarsky, who chairs the Stat…