Well they are cooperating with them, and aren't being very transparent about it either. (but I don't believe they make money from cooperating with them, I'm just saying they are cooperating with them)
"Telegram: Russia lifts ban on private messaging app after it 'agrees to help with extremism investigations'"
"The Telegram messenger has deleted over 256,000 prohibited materials since 2021 to date at requests of the Russian Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology, and Mass Media, the regulator told TASS."
He'd have kept VKontakte and never done Telegram then.