Russia's VPN ban caused bank outage, says Telegram founder

Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram, asserts that Russia's attempts to restrict virtual private networks were the direct cause of a major banking outage experienced nationwide. This incident unfolded during a broader government effort to clamp down on the Telegram messaging service. Durov highlighted that millions of Russians still rely on Telegram daily via VPNs, and the government's sustained efforts to block these VPNs inadvertently triggered the extensive disruption to banking operations. The situation underscores the critical role of VPNs in maintaining digital access and the potential for regulatory actions to have unforeseen, severe economic impacts.