MOSCOW

A local district court in Moscow on Monday fined the Telegram messenger 10.5 million rubles ($125,000) for refusing to delete information about extremist activities.

According to the Tagansky District Court's statement, Telegram was found guilty in two cases and fined 7 million rubles (approximately $83,000) and 3.5 million rubles (approximately $41,500), respectively.

According to the Russian media, Telegram's debt for unpaid fines for violating Russian laws exceeded 40 million rubles (about $476,000).

On Feb. 10, Russian watchdog Roskomnadzor reported that Telegram continues to fail to comply with the requirements of Russian legislation, and therefore, efforts to restrict its operation will continue.