In 2018, Russia banned Telegram although it reversed the prohibition two years later. As a result, the pandemic saw many newcomers to Telegram, including prominent anti-vaccine activists who used the app's hands-off approach to share false information on shots, a study from the Institute for Strategic Dialogue shows. Andrey, a Russian entrepreneur living in Brazil who, fearing retaliation, asked that NPR not use his last name, said Telegram has become one of the few places Russians can access independent news about the war. Perpetrators of such fraud use various marketing techniques to attract subscribers on their social media channels.
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