Telegram CEO Durov Accuses Reliance of BGP Hijacking to Block Access Outside India, Including UAE But Key Claims Require Scrutiny
Durov posted on X that Reliance is using a rogue network routing technique to disrupt Telegram access for millions of users beyond India's borders, while also alleging a competitive motive tied to Meta's investment in Jio Platforms a claim that independent analysts say inverts the actual ownership structure.
Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov escalated his public dispute with India's government and its telecoms sector on June 16, 2026, alleging that Reliance India's dominant telecom operator is using a technically sophisticated and internationally condemned network manipulation technique to disrupt access to Telegram not just inside India, but across multiple countries including the United Arab Emirates.
The allegation: BGP hijacking
In a post on X, Durov wrote: "Indian telecom Reliance is sabotaging access to Telegram for millions of users OUTSIDE India (including the UAE) via a rogue method called BGP hijacking. The sabotage seems intentional, as Reliance has ignored multiple reports."
Border Gateway Protocol BGP is the routing system that governs how data packets travel across the internet between autonomous networks. BGP hijacking occurs when a network operator announces false routing information to redirect traffic that was never meant to pass through it. The technique can be used to intercept, monitor, delay, or block traffic, and has historically been associated with state-sponsored cyber operations and large-scale network attacks. It is not a standard tool for implementing government-ordered content restrictions, which are typically carried out through DNS blocking or deep packet inspection at the ISP level.
As of writing, independent monitors that track route hijacks had not publicly corroborated Durov's routing accusation, and the claim should be read as a founder-level charge rather than an established fact. Reliance has not officially responded to Durov's allegation.
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The competitive motive claim and why it requires correction
Durov went further, suggesting a financial conflict of interest. He wrote: "This may be part of a competitive war," and added: "I wouldn't be surprised if Reliance/WhatsApp were also behind the recent lobbying effort to ban Telegram in India."
His implication that Reliance has a commercial interest in suppressing Telegram to benefit WhatsApp rests on a financial link between Reliance and Meta that exists but is structured differently from how Durov described it. The ownership framing in Durov's posts is misleading as worded. Meta does not own a stake in Reliance Industries. Through its subsidiary Jaadhu Holdings, Meta holds a minority position in Jio Platforms Reliance's digital and telecom holding company acquired for roughly ₹43,574 crore in 2020. Reliance controls Jio; Meta is one of several outside investors in the subsidiary, alongside Google and a roster of sovereign and private-equity funds. Durov's framing inverts that structure, though a genuine Meta-Jio financial link does exist.
Why India blocked Telegram
The ban, described as unprecedented in India, was imposed "in response to the organised use of the platform by cheating rackets to defraud candidates appearing for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test 2026 re-examination scheduled on 21 June 2026," the Ministry of Education's National Testing Agency said in a statement. It is in effect until June 22.
The government said the measure was a "last resort" after earlier action to remove such content from the platform had not worked. Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea did not respond to requests for comment on whether they had received and begun implementing the blocking directive.
Durov's response to the ban itself
Durov criticised the Indian government's ban separately, saying it "punishes 150 million-plus ordinary users" who had no role in the alleged exam paper leak, and argued that blocking the platform simply pushed cheating activity to other apps. "The leaks just moved to other apps," he wrote on X.
The Internet Freedom Foundation also criticised the ban, saying it was "a band-aid solution and a disproportionate answer to exam fraud" that would "punish ordinary users instead of addressing the systemic source of exam leaks."
Scale of impact
Following alleged NEET paper leaks and the cancellation of exam results affecting 2.3 million students, protests erupted across India, including demonstrations by the viral Cockroach Janta Party demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. India ranks first globally in grassroots crypto adoption, and Telegram hosts the TON blockchain's Mini-App ecosystem, including non-custodial wallets and in-app stablecoin transfers, making the blackout consequential for India's digital finance sector as well.
The unique angle worth noting: Durov's BGP hijacking allegation is technically significant precisely because BGP manipulation is not a standard ISP-level blocking tool. If substantiated by independent network monitors, it would suggest that what is happening to Telegram's traffic goes beyond routine government-ordered content restriction and into territory that affects routing infrastructure shared by all internet traffic, not just Telegram's. That distinction has not been picked up by most outlets covering the story, which have focused on the ban itself rather than the technical mechanism Durov is alleging.
