[morganvachon]

Russian citizens != Russian government. The Telegram development team is not on good terms with the Russian government last I read. With that said, it still operates within the borders so it's subject to government control (just as any US-based messaging service is subject to US government control). It's always a cat-and-mouse game between those who want free, unfettered, unmonitored communications and the governments that feel threatened by that kind of freedom.

[older]

Last I read Telegram is on very good terms with the Russian government. I have already posted link to the source in this thread.

[ComradePhil]

You are thinking from a completely different perspective.

There's nothing for governments to allow people to communicate freely. Telegram is one of the few platforms that allows that... and this is a good opportunity for the US government to do that.