Using Telegram in the election campaign is allowed — this has been confirmed by the Central Election Commission (CEC). In response to a request from Vedomosti, the federal state body referred to the law "On Elections of Deputies of the State Duma." It states that candidates themselves determine the content, forms, and methods of their campaigning.
In addition, according to the law, candidates can freely produce and distribute printed, audiovisual, and other campaign materials on the Internet, the CEC added. The only exceptions are platforms with access restricted by Roskomnadzor.
The Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) previously stated that placing advertising on Telegram violates the law on advertising. The agency explained that advertising is prohibited on resources with restricted access and on services recognized as undesirable.
This statement caused a wide resonance. Later, on March 25, the FAS announced a transition period for advertising on Telegram and YouTube — until the end of 2026. During this period, measures of responsibility for placing advertising will not be applied. This also applies to the period of the Unified Voting Day in September.
Sergey Perminov, a member of the General Council of United Russia, stated that primary participants use all methods not prohibited by law to convey information to voters.
The CPRF also reported that they would campaign "everywhere." According to the secretary of the Central Committee of the party, Sergey Obukhov, the party does not plan to abandon available opportunities.
The "New People" party also stated that it will continue to place campaigning on Telegram.
The LDPR and "A Just Russia" did not respond to Vedomosti's request.
