The messaging app is actively used by Russia for cyberattacks and calibrating missile strikes, Kiev has claimed
The Ukrainian authorities have prohibited government officials, military personnel, and other defense and critical infrastructure workers from using the Telegram messaging app on state-issued devices, according to an official Facebook post on Friday.
The ban, announced by Ukraine’s Security and Defense Council, is said to be necessary for the country’s national security during the conflict with Russia. People using the instant-messaging platform in their official duties are exempted, the post said.
“Telegram is actively used by Russia for cyberattacks, phishing, spreading malware, establishing user locations and calibrating missile strikes,” the Security Service of Ukraine and the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have claimed.
According to Ukraine’s intelligence chief, Kirill Budanov, Russian intelligence services are able to access the personal messages of app users, including deleted ones, as well as their personal data.
“I have always advocated and keep advocating for freedom of speech, but the issue of Telegram is not a matter of freedom of speech, but a matter of national security,” Budanov said.
The intelligence chief has been calling for regulating the messenger for months, while acknowledging that shutting down Telegram would be difficult, since it has become the number one source of information in the country.
Created by Russian tech entrepreneurs Pavel and Nikolay Durov, Telegram allows users to not only exchange text and media messages, but also to create public broadcast channels and discussion groups.
Telegram has faced numerous legal challenges since its launch back in 2013, with a number of countries, including Russia, taking issue with its privacy policies. It has been banned in several jurisdictions over its refusal to cooperate with local authorities.
Company CEO Pavel Durov was detained in France last month and charged with multiple offenses ranging from refusal to cooperate with authorities, to administering an online platform allegedly used by criminals. The Russian billionaire, who also has French, UAE, and Saint Kitts and Nevis citizenship, was later released on €5 million ($5.55 million) bail. He is prohibited from leaving the country while the case is ongoing.
