MOSCOW, January 19. /TASS/. Moderators of Telegram Messenger blocked hundreds of public calls for violence during unrest in the US early in January, its founder Pavel Durov said on his official channel on Monday.

"Early in January, the team of moderators of Telegram began to receive an increasing number of messages about public activity related to actions by US citizens. The team acted resolutely, cutting off American channels encouraging violence. Thanks to these efforts, our moderators blocked hundreds of public calls for violence last week," he said.

Durov added that Telegram welcomed peaceful protests and debates, but the service’s terms of service explicitly banned the spread of public calls for violence.

On January 6, Donald Trump supporters stormed the Capitol Building in Washington DC to stop lawmakers from officially certifying the results of the November 3 presidential election in a last-ditch attempt to prevent Democrat Joe Biden from becoming the new president. One protester was shot dead during the unrest. In addition, three others died, the causes of their deaths were qualified as medical emergencies. Biden’s inauguration is scheduled for January 20.