Reliance Is Sabotaging Telegram Access Outside India, Claims Pavel Durov

Telegram CEO Pavel Durov has accused Indian telecom operator Reliance Industries of disrupting access to Telegram for millions of users outside India through what he described as a ‘rogue’ form of BGP hijacking.

In a post on X, Durov alleged that Reliance's network was announcing unauthorised internet routes, causing Telegram traffic from countries including the UAE to be incorrectly routed and resulting in connectivity issues for users. He said the problem appeared intentional because Reliance had allegedly ignored multiple reports about the issue.

“The sabotage seems intentional, as Reliance has ignored multiple reports,” Durov wrote. He further claimed the incident could be linked to competitive pressures, noting that Reliance is partially owned by Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, Telegram's largest messaging rival.

Durov also urged network operators worldwide to reject unauthorised BGP announcements originating from Reliance’s AS18101 autonomous system, arguing that doing so would help prevent route hijacks and maintain stable internet access for users.

Plenty pic.twitter.com/9pxKMhyUKq

— Pavel Durov (@durov) June 16, 2026

“Such abuse of global Internet routing is alarming,” Durov wrote, adding that he would not be surprised if Reliance or WhatsApp were involved in lobbying efforts aimed at restricting Telegram's operations in India.

BGP, or Border Gateway Protocol, is the routing system that directs internet traffic between networks worldwide. Incorrect or unauthorised route announcements can redirect traffic away from its intended destination, potentially causing outages, degraded performance, or traffic interception.

If other telecom operators adopted and propagated those announcements, traffic intended for Telegram could be redirected to other networks rather than Telegram’s servers. This can potentially disrupt access to the service for users across multiple networks and countries.

Several researchers on X pointed to public routing records showing Telegram IP prefixes being announced through the Reliance network and propagated beyond India. 

While some characterised the incident as a BGP hijack affecting international traffic, others wrote it could have resulted from an accidental routing error rather than a deliberate action.

AIM reached out to Reliance for a comment on Durov’s allegations but had not received a response at the time of publication.

The allegations come at a time when India has temporarily blocked Telegram over claims that the platform was used by organised groups involved in the NEET medical entrance exam paper leak case. 

The restriction was imposed until June 22, with authorities arguing that Telegram had become a channel for distributing leaked exam materials and coordinating fraud.

Durov criticised the move, saying it had ‘punished’ more than 150 million ordinary users in Telegram's largest market while failing to stop the leaks. 

“The ban has not stopped anything, and the leaks simply moved to other apps,” he wrote on X, arguing that enforcement efforts should focus on those responsible for the leaks rather than the platform itself.