Despite the ban, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is likely to continue using Telegram in his public communications since it is in his official capacity.

Pavel Durov, the founder of the Telegram messaging app, is being held legally responsible for criminal activity on the platform. Durov is not allowed to leave France after he was detained on Saturday and released on bail of nearly $6 million.

After several years of moving between countries during the development of Telegram, Durov settled in Dubai in 2017, partly due to the favorable tax policies of the United Arab Emirates.