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Trump’s NIH director isn’t the only official wearing multiple hats during the president’s second term

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The Trump administration has repeatedly assigned additional job roles to Cabinet members and other officials, and one of his top health officials is the latest to begin pulling double duty for the president. 

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On Wednesday, National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Jay Bhattacharya became the latest Trump official assigned an additional role. The NIH chief and staunch COVID contrarian will temporarily run the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) until a new permanent director is appointed by President Donald Trump and subsequently confirmed by the Senate, while continuing to lead the NIH.

Bhattacharya’s move to the CDC followed the departure of Jim O’Neill, who was also deputy secretary of the Health and Human Services Department amid a broader restructuring of the Trump administration’s public health agencies. O’Neill is now reportedly expected to lead the National Science Foundation.

Fox News Digital looked back on the various Trump Cabinet members and officials wearing multiple hats as the president adjusts during the second year of his second term.

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TRUMP TOUTS ‘MOST SUCCESSFUL’ FIRST 100 DAYS IN PRESIDENTIAL HISTORY DURING MICHIGAN RALLY  

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of the VA Doug Collins, President Donald Trump and FBI Director Kash Patel. (Getty Images)

Dr. Jay Bhattacharya

A physician, former Stanford professor of medicine and senior fellow at the university’s Institute for Economic Policy Research, Bhattacharya was a leading voice during the COVID-19 pandemic against lockdown measures and vaccine mandates. 

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He was one of the co-authors of the Great Barrington Declaration, a document published in October 2020 by a group of scientists advocating against widespread COVID lockdowns and promoting the efficacy of natural immunity for low-risk individuals as opposed to vaccination.

During Bhattacharya’s tenure, he has been forced to defend certain funding cuts tied to academic research and staffing. One of the core components Bhattacharya indicated that he wanted to pursue after his confirmation was to usher in a new age of «gold standard science.»

«I think fundamentally what matters is do scientists have an idea that advances the scientific field they’re in?» Bhattacharya said during his March confirmation testimony. «Do they have an idea that ends up addressing the health needs of Americans?»

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Dr. Jay Bhattacharya receives approval by full Senate to become next director of the NIH.

Dr. Jay Bhattacharya will lead both the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Getty Images)

Marco Rubio

Rubio and the Trump administration came under fire from Democrats for the secretary of state holding as many as four high-profile roles during the second Trump administration. As of today, he remains in two of those roles.

He was first confirmed as secretary of state hours after Trump was inaugurated, a role Rubio remains in today. 

About a month later, amid a massive reorganization at the U.S. Administration for International Development (USAID), Rubio was named director and held that role until handing it off a few months later.  

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Around the same time, Rubio was tapped to be the acting archivist of the United States (NARA), a role he stopped serving in earlier this month.

Rubio does still serve as the interim national security advisor, a role he has held since May after the departure of Michael Waltz.   

«There’s no way he can do that and do it well, especially since there’s such incompetence over at DOD with Pete Hegseth being secretary of defense and just the hollowing out of the top leadership,» Illinois Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth said of Rubio’s multiple jobs. «There’s no way he can carry all that entire load on his own.»

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«I don’t know how anybody could do these two big jobs,» Democratic Virginia Sen. Mark Warner added.

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Secretary of State Marco Rubio serves in four different roles with the administration. (Evan Vucci/Associated Press)

When asked about the trend of Trump officials wearing multiple work hats in May, the White House reflected in a comment to Fox News Digital on former President Joe Biden’s «disaster of a Cabinet.» 

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«Democrats cheered on Joe Biden’s disaster of a Cabinet as it launched the botched Afghanistan withdrawal, opened the southern border to migrant criminals, weaponized the justice system against political opponents and more,» White House spokesperson Anna Kelly told Fox News Digital in May. 

«President Trump has filled his administration with many qualified, talented individuals he trusts to manage many responsibilities.» 

The Trump administration has repeatedly brushed off concerns over Rubio holding multiple roles, most notably juggling both his State Department leadership and serving as acting national security advisor. Similarly, former President Richard Nixon in 1973 named National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger to simultaneously serve as Secretary of State.

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«You need a team player who is very honest with the president and the senior team, not someone trying to build an empire or wield a knife or drive their own agenda,» an administration official told Politico. «He is singularly focused on delivering the president’s agenda.» 

Despite Democratic rhetoric that Rubio was taking on too many roles, the former Florida senator helped oversee successful U.S. strikes on Iran in June, which destroyed a trio of nuclear sites and decimated the country’s efforts to advance its nuclear program.

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Kash Patel

FBI Director Kash Patel, who railed against the «deep state» and vowed to strip corruption from the federal law enforcement agency ahead of his confirmation, was briefly charged with overseeing the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) in February after the Biden-era director resigned in January 2025. 

Kash Patel speaking

Kash Patel briefly served as acting director of the ATF and FBI director. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Patel was later replaced by Secretary of the Army Daniel Driscoll as acting ATF director in a job change that was reported publicly in April. 

ARMY SECRETARY DAN DRISCOLL TO LEAD ATF, REPLACING FBI DIRECTOR KASH PATEL

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«Director Kash Patel was briefly designated ATF director while awaiting Senate confirmations, a standard, short-term move. Dozens of similar redesignations have occurred across the federal government,» the White House told Reuters in April. «Director Patel is now excelling in his role at the FBI and delivering outstanding results.»

Sean Duffy 

Duffy, a former Republican congressman from Wisconsin, was tapped to oversee the Department of Transportation and was confirmed by the Senate Jan. 28. Duffy has been forced to juggle a handful of crises related to tragic plane crashes, including the 2025 Potomac River midair collision and air traffic control issues that plagued New Jersey’s Liberty International Airport last year. 

In July, President Trump announced Duffy would also serve as interim chief of NASA. Duffy remained in that position until mid-December, when commercial astronaut Jared Isaacman took over.

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Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy testifies during a hearing before the House Appropriations Committee

Trump tapped Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy to temporarily lead NASA.  (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

Prior to Trump’s inauguration in January 2025, the president announced he would be nominating Isaacman but withdrew his nomination in May before the full Senate confirmed him. Trump said the decision followed a review of Isaacman’s «prior associations,» pointing to money he has given to Democrats. 

However, Isaacman suggested at the time that the rescission of his nomination may have been due to his connections to Elon Musk, who was running the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) at the time. 

Duffy replaced Janet Petro, who had served as acting NASA administrator since Trump’s inauguration.

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Daniel Driscoll 

Driscoll was sworn in as the 26th secretary of the Army in February. The secretary of the army is a senior-level civilian official charged with overseeing the management of the Army and also acts as an advisor to the secretary of defense in matters related to the Army. 

It was reported in April that Driscoll was named acting ATF director, replacing Patel in that role. 

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Dan Driscoll

Daniel Driscoll is the 26th secretary of the U.S. Army.  (Manuel Balce Ceneta/Associated Press)

«Mr. Driscoll is responsible for the oversight of the agency’s mission to protect communities from violent criminals, criminal organizations, and the illegal trafficking of firearms, explosives, and contraband,» his ATF biography states. «Under his leadership, the ATF works to enforce federal laws, ensure public safety, and provide critical support in the investigation of firearms-related crimes and domestic and international criminal enterprises,»

Ahead of Trump taking office, Republican representatives Eric Burlison of Missouri and Lauren Boebert of Colorado introduced legislation to abolish the ATF, saying the agency has worked to strip Second Amendment rights from U.S. citizens. 

The ATF has been tasked with assisting the Department of Homeland Security in its deportation efforts under the Trump administration. 

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Driscoll remains listed as the agency’s acting director as of February 2026. 

Doug Collins 

Former Georgia Republican Rep. Doug Collins was sworn in as the Trump administration’s secretary of Veterans Affairs in February, a Cabinet-level position tasked with overseeing the department and its mission of providing health, education and financial benefits to military veterans. 

Days after his confirmation as VA secretary, Trump tapped Collins to temporarily lead two oversight agencies, the Office of Government Ethics and the Office of Special Counsel. 

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Doug Collins, U.S. President Donald Trump's nominee to be the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, is sworn in during his Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee confirmation hearing

Former Georgia Republican Rep. Doug Collins was sworn in as the Trump administration’s secretary of Veterans Affairs in February. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

VA SECRETARY ACCUSES REPORTER OF SPREADING ‘RUMORS’ ABOUT DOGE THAT HURT VETERANS IN TENSE CLASH

The Office of Government Ethics is charged with overseeing the executive branch’s ethics program, including setting ethics standards for the government and monitoring ethics compliance across federal agencies and departments. 

The Office of Special Counsel is charged with overseeing and protecting the federal government’s merit system, most notably ensuring federal whistleblowers don’t face retaliation for sounding the alarm on an issue they’ve experienced. The office also has an established secure channel to allow federal employees to blow the whistle on alleged wrongdoing. 

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The Office of Special Counsel also enforces the Hatch Act, which bans executive branch staffers, except the president and vice president, from engaging in certain forms of political activity

Jamieson Greer

Trump’s trade representative, Jamieson Greer, has also been tapped for multiple roles within the administration, in addition to helping lead the administration’s tariff negotiations to bring parity to the chronic U.S. trade deficit with other nations. 

Greer took on Collins’ roles as acting director of the Office of Government Ethics and as acting special counsel of the Office of Special Counsel April 1. 

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Jamieson Greer

Jamieson Greer serves as President Trump’s trade representative in addition to other interim roles.  (Rod Lamkey, Jr./The Associated Press)

Trump nominated conservative attorney Paul Ingrassia to lead the Office of Special Counsel in May, but he subsequently withdrew his nomination amid concerns about his rhetoric and other accusations the young conservative was facing at the time.  

Russell Vought 

Trump named his former director of the Office of Management and Budget during his first administration, Russell Vought, to the same role in his second administration. Vought was confirmed as the federal government’s budget chief in February. 

Days later, Vought was also named the acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), a position he still holds.

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RUSS VOUGHT, TAPPED AS CFPB’S ACTING DIRECTOR, DIRECTS BUREAU TO ISSUE NO NEW RULES, STOP NEW INVESTIGATIONS  

Russell Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), testifies before a Senate Budget Committee confirmation hearing

Russell Vought serves as director of the Office of Management and Budget. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP)

The CFPB is an independent government agency charged with protecting consumers from unfair financial practices in the private sector. It was created in 2010 under the Obama administration after the financial crash in 2008. Democratic Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren originally proposed and advocated for the creation of the agency.

The CFPB came under fierce investigation from the Department of Government Efficiency in February, with mass terminations rocking the agency before the reduction in force initiative was tied up in court. 

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Ric Grenell 

Richard Grenell speaking

Kennedy Center President Ric Grenell also serves as special presidential envoy for special missions of the United States. (Leon Neal/Getty Images)

President Donald Trump’s former ambassador to Germany and acting director of national intelligence during his first term, a pair of roles held at separate times in the first administration, currently serves as president of the Kennedy Center and special presidential envoy for special missions of the United States. 

GRENELL DEVELOPING ‘COMMONSENSE’ PLAN TO TURN KENNEDY CENTER FINANCIALS AROUND

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts serves as the national cultural center of the U.S. Trump notably serves as the center’s chairman, and Grenell said the center will see a «golden age» of the arts during Trump’s second administration through productions and concerts that Americans actually want to see after years of the performing arts center running in the red. 

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Trump named Grenell his special presidential envoy for special missions to the United States in December 2024 before his inauguration, saying Grenell will «work in some of the hottest spots around the world, including Venezuela and North Korea.»

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In this role, Grenell helped lead the administration through its response to the wildfires that tore through Southern California in the last days of the Biden administration through the beginning days of the Trump administration. 

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Fox News Digital’s Jasmine Baehr contributed to this report. 

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INTERNACIONAL

En la vigilia de Pascua, el Papa León XIV pidió «que no nos paralicen» la guerra y la injusticia

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El Papa León XIV exhortó este sábado de gloria a “no dejar que nos paralicen las losas de la guerra, la injusticia y el aislamiento entre los pueblos” en su mensaje en la Vigilia Pascual, un momento particularmente solemne de la Semana Santa.

En un ambiente de total recogimiento, el pontífice recordó que la llamada “madre de todas las vigilias” revive “el memorial de la victoria del Señor de la vida sobre la muerte y el infierno”.

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“Esta noche santa hunde sus raíces también allí donde se consumó el primer fracaso de la humanidad y se extiende a lo largo de los siglos como camino de reconciliación y de gracia”, rememorando la muerte y resurreción de Jesucristo.

“El hombre puede matar el cuerpo pero la vida de Dios es vida eterna. Va más allá de la muerte y ningún sepulcro lo puede aprisionar”, afirmó.

El Papa Robert Prevost lamentó que “tampoco faltan en nuestros días sepulcros que abrir y a menudo las piedras que los cierran son tan pesados y están tan bien vigiladas que parecen inamovibles”.

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“Algunas oprimen el corazón del hombre, como la desconfianza, el miedo, el egoísmo y el rencor. Otras, consecuencia de las primeras, rompen los lazos entre nosotros como la guerra, la injusticia y el aislamiento entre pueblo y naciones”, continuó el pontífice. Y a continuación, exclamó: “¡No dejemos que nos paralicen”.

Destacó el ejemplo de muchos hombres y mujeres, “personas como nosotros, fortalecidos por la gracia del Resucitado, que a lo largo de los siglos han removido las piedras aún a costa de su vida, pero con frutos de bien de los que hoy nos beneficiamos”.

Esta noche se vivió como siempre el Sábado Santo, que es ante todo el día del Misterio de Pascua en el que “todo parece inmóvil y de gran silencio, mientras se cumple una invisible acción de salvación. Cristo desciende al reino de los infiernos para llevar el anuncio de la resurrección a todos aquellos que estaban en las tinieblas y en la sombra de la muerte”. Estas palabras León XIV no las dijo este sábado sino hace un año en una catequesis, poco después de ser elevado al pontificado por el Cónclave.

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Una jornada en la que la Iglesia calla, no hay misa ni celebraciones, predomina el silencio, hasta que esta noche, durante la vigilia pascual, se festejó “el evento más grande de la historia”: la Resurrección de Cristo, que mañana domingo, “en la alegría de la Pascua”, vivirá la jornada final de la Semana Santa.

El Sábado Santo es ante todo misterio, espera y alegría final hacia la medianoche.

Durante la jornada no hay misas ni ninguna otra celebración. Ningún discurso, domina el sentido del vacío y la aparente derrota despojada de consuelo, atravesada por la oscuridad de las grandes pruebas en las que no hay salida.

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La basílica de San Pedro mostró este clima oscuro cuando el Papa inició la ceremonia, un rito en una Basílica cargada de mística que guía a los fieles desde la oscuridad hacia la luz.

El Papa encendió el cirio Pascual y una candela más pequeña que lo acompañó en sus desplazamientos hasta que se encendieron las luces fe la basílica.

Los ritos de la Semana Santa comenzaron con la misa del Jueves Santo, que marca el inicio del Triduo Pascual, el período central de la Pascua.

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En la ceremonia se conmemora la institución del sacramento fe la orden sacerdotal por Jesucristo durante la Última Cena. Está dedicada a la renovación por parte de los sacerdotes de los votos de pobreza, castidad y obediencia.

En su homilía, el pontífice lamentó que la misión evangelizadora haya sido “no pocas veces trastocada por lógicas de dominio totalmente ajenas al camino de Jesucristo”.

El Papa Francisco destacó que la labor de la Iglesia “comienza con la reconciliación de nuestros orígenes y por hacer las paces con el pasado sin quedar prisionero de él”.

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“El amor es verdadero si esta desarmado porque necesita pocas cosas, ninguna ostentación y custodia con delicadeza la debilidad y la desnudez”, afirmó.

Insistió también a los religiosos afirmando que no hay una buena nueva para los pobres si acuden “con signos de poder”, ni hay una auténtica liberación sin liberarse de la posesión.

El Papa citó también al mártir salvadoreño Oscar Arnulfo Romero y cardenal estadounidense Joseph Bernardin como ejemplos de entrega, incluso ante la muerte y el fracaso.

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Dijo también que “en esta hora oscura de la historia Dios ha querido enviarnos a difundir el perfume de Cristo donde reina el olor a la muerte”.

En la ceremonia se bendijeron los óleos de los catecúmenos, el de los enfermos y del crisma, que de ulilizan en los bautismos, confirmación y unión de los enfermos.

En la tercera fase de la celebración de esta noche el Papa también bautizó a diez adultos, siguiendo la tradición de lo primeros siglos de la Iglesia.

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US pilot rescued from downed F-15E fighter jet in Iran, search for second crew member ongoing

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One of the pilots who flew an F-15E fighter jet in Iran has been rescued, a well-placed source told Fox News. 

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A search is still ongoing for the second crew member, the source said. 

President Donald Trump has been briefed on the incident, which marks the first known loss of U.S. aircraft in Iran since the conflict known as Operation Epic Fury began Feb. 28. 

It comes after 13,000 combat flights and five weeks into the campaign. Three F-15s were lost in a friendly fire incident in Kuwait. 

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The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and state media claimed to have shot down the U.S. fighter jet over central Iran, specifically in the mountainous Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province.

WHAT B-52 BOMBERS BRING TO IRAN FIGHT — AND WHAT IT MEANS FOR THE WAR

Initial Iranian reports claimed the aircraft was an F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter. However, subsequent photos of wreckage released by Iranian media suggest the aircraft may be an F-15E Strike Eagle, likely from the 494th Fighter Squadron based at Royal Air Force Lakenheath base. 

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The Trump administration has notified congressional leaders about the incident, two sources confirmed to Fox.

The jet was apparently shot down by Iran, one U.S. official told Fox News Digital. Central Command, the theater responsible for operations in the Middle East, has not confirmed the incident but is expected to issue a statement soon. 

Local footage appears to show HC-130s and HH-60 Black Hawks flying low over Iranian territory, suggesting a search for those on board. Israeli Defense Forces paused their strikes while the search and rescue operation is underway. 

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Combat search-and-rescue missions inside hostile territory are among the most dangerous operations, often requiring aircraft and helicopters to operate deep inside enemy air defenses. U.S. fighter pilots undergo advanced survival, evasion, resistance and escape (SERE) training designed to prepare them to evade capture and survive behind enemy lines.

Promotional footage of the F-15EX in action. (U.S. Air Force)

Map of the location in Iran where U.S. F-15 was reportedly shot down

A U.S F-15 fighter jet reportedly went down over the Khuzestan province in Iran on April 3, 2026. (EarthStar Geographics)

The F-15E Strike Eagle is a two-seat fighter jet designed for long-range strike missions, capable of carrying precision-guided munitions deep into enemy territory. It is typically crewed by a pilot and a weapons systems officer and is widely used for both air-to-ground and air-to-air operations. It can reach a speed of Mach 2.5 or 1,650 miles per hour.

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Iranian state media released images purporting to show the damaged jet, including an ejector seat. Fox News has not verified their authenticity.

TRUMP SAYS IRAN ‘NO LONGER A THREAT’ AFTER 32 DAYS — OUTLINES NEXT PHASE OF US WAR

Iranian claims of shooting down U.S. aircraft have surfaced repeatedly during the conflict, though previous reports were denied by U.S. officials.

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U.S. officials for weeks have insisted the U.S. and Israel have «complete control over Iranian skies,» and recently sent the slower, non-stealthy B-52 bombers into Iran, underscoring how confident they were that Iranian airpower had been nearly eliminated. 

«We are in this military operation … for 32 days,» Trump said in an address Wednesday. «And the country has been eviscerated and essentially is really no longer a threat.»

American F-15 parts

Iranian state media released images purporting to show the damaged jet. (Iranian state media)

American F-15 parts

Fox News has not verified the authenticity of images reportedly showing wreckage of the jet. (Iranian state media)

American F-15 parts

Image reportedly shows the ejector seat of the downed F-15.  (Iranian state media)

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«They have no anti-aircraft equipment,» Trump said. «Their radar is 100% annihilated. We are unstoppable.» 

Trump also said he expected operations to wrap up within two to three weeks, but added. «We are going to hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks.»

Thirteen U.S. service members have lost their lives in Operation Epic Fury, and more than 350 have suffered injuries, though most have already returned to service, according to Central Command.

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El fundador de Telegram afirmó que 65 millones de rusos acceden a la app con VPN pese a la censura impuesta por Putin

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Las restricciones digitales impuestas por el gobierno de Putin provocaron un fuerte malestar social, sobre todo en los más jóvenes (REUTERS/Ramil Sitdikov)

La campaña de bloqueo y censura impulsada por el gobierno de Vladimir Putin contra Telegram -y otras plataformas- provocó una interrupción bancaria nacional y no logró frenar el uso de la aplicación, según su fundador Pavel Durov, quien afirmó que 65 millones de rusos siguen conectados a diario mediante VPN.

Las restricciones impuestas por las autoridades rusas a Telegram y a las redes privadas virtuales, conocidas como VPN, tuvieron efectos de alcance inesperado. De acuerdo con The Moscow Times y otros medios internacionales, el intento de bloqueo derivó en fallas masivas en el sistema bancario nacional, afectando pagos con tarjeta, cajeros automáticos y transferencias. Las entidades Sberbank, VTB y T-Bank notificaron fallos el 3 de abril, coincidiendo con la fase más intensa de la ofensiva digital.

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En este contexto, Pavel Durov, fundador de Telegram, utilizó su propio canal en la plataforma para asegurar que más de 65 millones de personas en Rusia acceden cada día a la aplicación, pese al bloqueo, y que más de 50 millones envían mensajes diariamente. Durov calificó el fenómeno como una “Resistencia Digital”, en la que decenas de millones de usuarios emplean VPN y servidores proxy para sortear la censura.

Durov recordó que una estrategia similar en Irán solo generó un uso masivo de herramientas de evasión. “El gobierno esperaba migraciones hacia apps de vigilancia, pero solo consiguió que millones adoptaran VPN”, afirmó el empresario, quien prometió adaptar el tráfico de Telegram para dificultar su detección y bloqueo por parte de los sistemas de inspección rusos.

Pavel Durov, fundador y CEO de Telegram (REUTERS/Albert Gea)
Pavel Durov, fundador y CEO de Telegram (REUTERS/Albert Gea)

La ofensiva regulatoria fue liderada por Roskomnadzor, el regulador de internet de Rusia, que en febrero pasado comenzó a ralentizar el acceso y, a partir del 1 de abril, activó un bloqueo nacional. El objetivo oficial era redirigir a los usuarios hacia plataformas de mensajería alineadas con el Estado, como Max, una aplicación obligatoria en nuevos dispositivos desde 2025.

Especialistas en ciberseguridad, como Fyodor Muzalevsky de RTM Group, explicaron a The Moscow Times que el bloqueo de direcciones IP vinculadas a servicios financieros contribuyó a la caída bancaria. El incidente dejó fuera de servicio terminales de pago, cajeros y aplicaciones de banca móvil en todo el país. El metro de Moscú incluso permitió el acceso gratuito y comercios de la capital solo aceptaron efectivo durante horas.

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La presión estatal crece sobre los servicios de mensajería y las VPN. El Ministerio de Desarrollo Digital ruso ordenó a las plataformas restringir el acceso a usuarios de VPN antes del 15 de abril, y analiza multas de hasta 30.000 rublos para quienes utilicen herramientas no autorizadas. Reuters destacó que Roskomnadzor ya bloqueó más de 400 servicios de VPN desde mayo de 2025, un aumento del 70% en comparación con el año anterior.

La respuesta social, según datos de Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, se refleja en cifras de uso: Telegram sumó cerca de 96 millones de usuarios en enero de 2026 antes de las restricciones. Aunque la cifra descendió tras el bloqueo, el mantenimiento de 65 millones de usuarios diarios ilustra la persistencia de la plataforma incluso bajo prohibición.

Putin intensifica la censura digital en Rusia (EFE/EPA/SERGEI ILNITSKY)
Putin intensifica la censura digital en Rusia (EFE/EPA/SERGEI ILNITSKY)

El conflicto digital abarca también otros servicios. Las autoridades intensificaron restricciones sobre aplicaciones extranjeras, como WhatsApp, luego de que su matriz, Meta, supuestamente incumpliera la legislación nacional. El portavoz del Kremlin, Dmitry Peskov, instó a la población a migrar a servicios estatales.

Los apagones de internet móvil se suman a la estrategia de control. Desde mayo de 2025, en 83 regiones rusas se han reportado cortes selectivos de conectividad, que solo permiten acceso a sitios aprobados por el gobierno. Este modelo incrementa la dependencia de herramientas de evasión para acceder a información y servicios básicos.

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Telegram, además de mensajería, se consolidó como fuente principal de noticias y coordinación social, llegando incluso a ser utilizada por militares rusos en el conflicto de Ucrania, según The Moscow Times. El bloqueo de la plataforma tiene así consecuencias que trascienden lo tecnológico y afectan la operatividad social y política en el país.

De esta manera, el gobierno de Putin enfrenta la disyuntiva de endurecer el control sobre VPN y plataformas digitales, o ajustar su estrategia para evitar nuevos daños colaterales. Mientras tanto, la “Resistencia Digital” de millones de usuarios persiste, desafiando las restricciones y adaptando sus métodos para permanecer conectados.



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