The Telegram messenger has published official instructions for bypassing blocking. The manual, intended for applications on Windows and Mac, is posted on the company's website.

It is proposed to bypass a possible blocking of Telegram in Russia using a proxy server based on the SOCKS5 network protocol. This will allow packets to be forwarded bypassing possible restrictions. It is recommended to enable SOCKS5 before blocking begins.

“VPN and Tor will help here, through which you can download Telegram in American stores. But make no mistake: there is a law ahead to ban means of bypassing blocking, adopted in the first reading in the State Duma of the Russian Federation,” say the Telegram developers.

The feature is available for Telegram applications for Mac and Windows; mobile applications will receive it in the next update.

How to bypass Telegram blocking:

Step 1: Open Telegram settings for Mac or Windows and click on "Default (currently: TCP)"

Step 2. Switch the “Connection Type” menu to “TCP socks5 proxy.

Step 3. Enter the proxy server address (for example, 192.254.68.37), the corresponding port (1080). It is better to use proxy addresses from America, Germany, Sweden or the UK. Then you need to check the “Use IPv6” checkbox and save.

Since May of this year, the possible blocking of Telegram has been actively discussed in the Russian Federation. Roskomnadzor is seeking from the service administration the data necessary for its inclusion in the register of information dissemination organizers. The company ignores this request.

Telegram founder Pavel Durov says the requirement is contrary to the Russian constitution and also “demonstrates ignorance of how communications are encrypted in 2017.”