Telegram blocks 170,504 groups and channels over weekend, citing moderation efforts

Over the weekend of October 3-4, 2026, Telegram blocked 170,504 groups and channels, according to statistics reported by RIA Novosti. On Saturday, the platform blocked 100,304 groups and channels, the first time since September 16 that the daily number exceeded 100,000. On Sunday, it blocked 70,200. This brings the weekly total to 483,149, including 3,108 classified as "related to terrorism." Since the beginning of the year, Telegram has blocked over 27 million groups and channels. The platform, founded by Pavel Durov, has over 1 billion monthly active users.