European Cluster of Telegram Faces Unprecedented Load, Technical Issues Possible, CEO Says

Earlier, today users across the world complained about large-scale service disruptions, as reported by the website Downdetector, which monitors the work of popular Internet platforms. Downdetector said residents of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and Poland were among those who experienced problems.

The European cluster of the Telegram messaging app is facing an unprecedented load due to the ongoing events in Ukraine, and users may experience technical issues such as short-term disruptions, Pavel Durov, CEO of Telegram, said.

"We understand that right now people need to contact their loved ones more than ever and we are doing everything possible to maintain high speed for sending and receiving messages", he said.

Earlier on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered to conduct a special operation in the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR). In a televised address to the nation, the Russian head of state explained that he made the decision after the DPR and LPR requested help from Moscow.

"The purpose of this operation is to protect people who, for eight years now, have been facing humiliation and genocide perpetrated by the Kiev regime. To this end, we will seek to demilitarise and denazify Ukraine, as well as bring to trial those who perpetrated numerous bloody crimes against civilians, including against citizens of the Russian Federation", Putin said.

Ukraine has described Moscow’s actions as a "full-scale invasion". The country has cut diplomatic ties with its neighbour and declared martial law. Western countries, including Britain, Germany, the United States, as well as the European Union, have condemned the Kremlin’s actions and vowed to introduce harsh sanctions against Moscow.

The spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry said that the special operation in Ukraine is an attempt to prevent "a situation that could lead to global military confrontation", while Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has argued that the measures taken by the Kremlin are aimed at ensuring the security of the Russian people.