It allows for one-on-one conversations, group chats and large “channels” that let people broadcast messages to subscribers. Unlike rivals such as Meta’s WhatsApp, Telegram’s group chats allow as many as 200,000 people, compared to a maximum of 1,024 for WhatsApp. Experts have raised concerns that misinformation spreads easily in such large group chats. Since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russian authorities have taken methodical steps to control the internet. Moscow has rejected Western accusations of using Telegram to coordinate and recruit people to carry out acts of arson and sabotage in Ukraine and across Europe.