Telegram isn't based in Russia (anymore). The company is incorporated in Dubai since 2017 [0]. They opposed Russian warrants in the past, resulting in the blocking of the app in the territory for some time [1].

[0] https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-12-12/cryptic-r... [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blocking_Telegram_in_Russia