The Telegram logo is seen on a screen of a smartphone in this picture illustration taken April 13, 2018. REUTERS/Ilya Naymushin

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia’s state telecommunications regulator said on Tuesday it had sent requests to Google and Apple asking them to remove the Telegram messenger service from their application stores, the Interfax news agency reported.

The watchdog, Roskomnadzor, said on Monday it had begun blocking access to Telegram, implementing a decision by a Russian court.