The history of Telegram’s relations with the Russian state offers a salutary lesson for international platforms that believe they can reach a compromise with the Kremlin.
Maria Kolomychenko
Recent experience has starkly demonstrated that merely reacting to technological change—whether from AI or from digital innovation more broadly—is insufficient. The world urgently need to proactively forestall rather than just respond to technological impacts.
Nonresident Scholar, Technology and International Affairs Program
Seth Lazar is a nonresident scholar in the Carnegie Technology and International Affairs Program.
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
The history of Telegram’s relations with the Russian state offers a salutary lesson for international platforms that believe they can reach a compromise with the Kremlin.
Maria Kolomychenko
With the blocking of Starlink terminals and restriction of access to Telegram, Russian troops in Ukraine have suffered a double technological blow. But neither service is irreplaceable.
Maria Kolomychenko
For years, the Russian government has promoted “sovereign” digital services as an alternative to Western ones and introduced more and more online restrictions “for security purposes.” In practice, these homegrown solutions leave people vulnerable to data leaks and fraud.
Maria Kolomychenko
In an attempt to stop Ukrainian drones from reaching their targets, the Russian authorities have significantly ramped up online repression.
Maria Kolomychenko
In Central Asia, Beijing is learning to adapt. The era of raw economic assertiveness is giving way to a more nuanced strategy that fuses investment with education, infrastructure with human capital, and ambition with a dose of humility.
Edward Lemon, Bradley Jardine