ST. PETERSBURG, May 24. /TASS/. Microsoft and Google undertake steps to limit operation of the Telegram messenger in Russia, head of the Russian telecom watchdog Alexander Zharov told TASS in an interview on Thursday at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).

"We are in contact with them on a going basis. As of now, I must tell you in respect of Microsoft that they notified us about ceasing to provide a configuration file to Telegram, which makes it possible to reach smartphones of users on account of the Microsoft Download service. Google told us that by virtue of agreements with Telegram, they stopped providing them with IP addresses," the official said.

"However, since blocking of a complex application, the Telegram messenger, is a process, the dialog continues," Zharov added.

On April 13, Moscow’s Tagansky District Court ruled to block access to Telegram in Russia over its failure to provide decryption keys for messages to the Federal Security Service. On April 16, mobile operators began to take steps to block Telegram in compliance with the court’s decision.