The Tagansk Court granted the request of the Russian state-controlled communications regulator (Roskomnadzor) to  block  access  to  Telegram, a popular online messaging service, in Russia because the  company  had  not disclosed keys for decrypting messages sent over its network. The Federal Security Services (FSS) contacted Telegram’s London office in April 2017, explaining that it needed to access Telegram messages sent from six mobile numbers and requesting that the company provide it with the keys for decrypting these messages. Telegram refused to comply with the request on the basis that doing so would, among other things, violate the right to privacy of its users. The Russian courts upheld the lawfulness of the FSS’s initial request, and the Roskomnadzor gave the company an additional fifteen days to comply with the request. After Telegram refused to disclose the keys, the Roskomnadzor applied for a court order to block access to Telegram in Russia. The Tagansk Court granted such an order, reasoning that since Telegram operated in Russia it was under an obligation to comply with the laws of the country and that it was under an obligation to provide the Russian federal authorities with the means to decrypt messages sent over its network.