Telegram is a centralised network with closed source software running on the servers.
I wouldn't take anyone (including any so-called journalists) hyping Telegram as some kind of "Digital Resistance", lol
The only p2p messenger network (+ fully open source) that exists today is
Tox, Telegram is little different to Whatsapp or Signal
Agreed. Durov knows that the moment he hands over the keys his business is finished, so he's disguising his efforts as a "digital resistance" in an attempt to drum up support. I don't blame him though, what Russia is doing is unacceptable. It's not just telegram they're attacking either - Zello has also been targeted by Russia:
https://torrentfreak.com/russia-blocks-100s-of-google-domains-to-shutdown-encrypted-chat-app-180412/Millions of Google & Amazon server IP's are now blocked in Russia, with no sign of it stopping either.
Personally, I prefer Signal solely because it is OpenSource (Facebook own Whatapp - so it's a no-go for me), but as you say - it's still centralized so can fail. ATM Tox is the only secure answer & the only messenger app that can beat the Russian censorship machine.