Social Media - The Kyiv Independent

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Russia's State Duma passes bill to create state messaging app as it considers blocking WhatsApp

by Kateryna Hodunova June 10, 2025

The new app "combines the features of a messenger and the functions of government services," the Duma's press service reported.

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Musk's X platform faces potential $1 billion fine from EU regulators over disinformation violations, NYT reports

by Sonya Bandouil April 5, 2025

Elon Musk’s social media platform X may face fines exceeding $1 billion for allegedly violating the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), the New York Times (NYT) reported on April 4, citing four people familiar with the matter.

Ukraine

A lonely Ukrainian stork is waiting for his girlfriend and thousands of people are watching live

by Yuliia Taradiuk March 24, 2025

"The feathers are ruffled, everything is fine," one viewer wrote.

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Telegram CEO Durov returns to Dubai amid French investigation

by Martin Fornusek March 18, 2025

Pavel Durov, Telegram's Russian-born founder and CEO, said that the investigating judges allowed him to depart even though the probe is ongoing.

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Meduza, German PR firm apologize for campaign featuring Ukrainian war victims

by The Kyiv Independent news desk February 2, 2025

Yaroslav Bazylevych told the Kyiv Independent on Feb. 1 that the images were used without his permission.

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Outrage after Russian independent media Meduza uses Ukrainian war victim in ad campaign

by Natalia Yermak February 1, 2025

Russian independent news outlet Meduza used a photo of a Ukrainian man mourning his family killed in a Russian strike to bolster its European promo campaign — without his permission, he told the Kyiv Independent.

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2024 was 'hard-won and free,' Zelensky says in New Year's Eve message

by The Kyiv Independent news desk December 31, 2024

"We Ukrainians know what it means not to wait for what tomorrow will bring, but to fight for every single day, and every year of freedom," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

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Russian government considers restricting calls made via messenger apps

by Kateryna Hodunova, The Kyiv Independent news desk December 24, 2024

The possible blocking of calls is being justified by authorities as a crackdown on anti-fraud calls.

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WhatsApp may be blocked in 2025 in Russia if company doesn't comply with law, senator says

by Kateryna Hodunova December 24, 2024

WhatsApp is the only Meta service that has not yet been blocked in Russia.

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Gaming platform Steam agrees to remove banned content in Russia, censorship agency says

by Nate Ostiller, The Kyiv Independent news desk October 15, 2024

Steam, which has an online catalog of more than 100,000 games and is used by around 130 million users around the world, including close to 10 million in Russia, agreed to comply with legislation, the federal censorship agency Roskomnadzor told Interfax.

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Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada restricts use of Telegram for parliament officials

by The Kyiv Independent news desk October 7, 2024

Lawmakers and parliament officials will be barred from installing Telegram on work devices and will have to use two-factor authentication when using the app for other purposes.

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Telegram to disclose to authorities phone numbers, IP addresses of those who violate messenger's rules

by Kateryna Hodunova, The Kyiv Independent news desk September 23, 2024

Personal information will be provided to the authorities by "valid legal requests," Telegram CEO Pavel Durov said on Sept. 23.

Pavel Durov, chief executive officer of Telegram, at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona

Opinion

Opinion: Examining Telegram founder Pavel Durov’s alleged ties to the Kremlin

by Yaroslav Azhnyuk September 2, 2024

In March 2023, I noticed a disturbing silence about the messaging platform Telegram’s ties to the Kremlin, despite Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine. It was like a Trojan horse – right in the pockets of 70% of Ukrainians. I quickly compiled years of notes on its founder Pavel Durov,

Why Russian milbloggers and propagandists are freaking out about Telegram's CEO arrest

by Chris York August 31, 2024

The arrest of Telegram CEO and co-founder Pavel Durov has sent ripples of panic and concern through Russia, from online military commentators all the way up to the halls of the Kremlin itself. "They practically detained the head of communication of the Russian army," one Russian pro-war military blogger said

Telegram CEO and co-founder Pavel Durov has been charged with an alleged crimival activity on Aug. 28 in a French court.

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Telegram CEO Durov charged with several crimes related to messaging app in France

by Kateryna Hodunova, The Kyiv Independent news desk August 28, 2024

Telegram CEO and co-founder Pavel Durov was charged in a French court on Aug. 28 with complicity in the distribution of sexual images of children and other crimes, such as drug trafficking through the messaging app, Reuters reported.

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Telegram founder Durov released from custody, transferred to French court, AFP reports

by Kateryna Hodunova, The Kyiv Independent news desk August 28, 2024

Telegram CEO Pavel Durov has been released from French custody after being held for four days and transferred to court on Aug. 28, news agency AFP reported, citing its undisclosed source.

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France issued arrest warrant also for Telegram co-founder, Durov's brother Nikolai, Politico reports

by Kateryna Denisova August 28, 2024

Arrest warrants for Pavel and Nikolai Durov were issued on March 25 after Telegram "gave no answer" to a previous judicial request to identify the Telegram user, Politico reported, citing an obtained document.

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Telegram CEO visited Russia over 60 times since 'exile' in 2014, investigation suggests

by Elsa Court, The Kyiv Independent news desk August 27, 2024

Telegram CEO Pavel Durov visited Russia over 60 times since leaving the country in 2014, Kremlingram, a Ukrainian group that campaigns against the use of Telegram in Ukraine, reported on Aug. 27.

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Telegram's CEO Pavel Durov faces multiple criminal charges from Paris prosecutors

by Sonya Bandouil August 27, 2024

Paris prosecutors have outlined potential charges against Pavel Durov, the Russian-born CEO of the messaging app Telegram.

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Arrest of Russian-born Telegram CEO not a political decision, Macron says

by Elsa Court, The Kyiv Independent news desk August 26, 2024

The recent arrest of Pavel Durov, the Russian-born CEO of the messaging app Telegram, was "in no way a political decision," French President Emmanuel Macron said in a statement on Aug. 26.

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French authorities extend detention of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov

by Olena Goncharova August 26, 2024

French judicial authorities on Aug. 25 extended the detention of Pavel Durov, the Russian-born founder of Telegram, following his arrest over alleged offenses linked to the messaging app.

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Telegram CEO Pavel Durov arrested at French airport

by Sonya Bandouil August 25, 2024

Pavel Durov, the billionaire founder and CEO of Telegram, was arrested at Le Bourget airport outside of Paris while traveling on his private jet.

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Telegram, WhatsApp, other sites suffer outages in Russia

by Martin Fornusek, The Kyiv Independent news desk August 21, 2024

Although Russian authorities linked the problems to a cyberattack, the news follows a string of cases of the Russian government restricting the Signal messaging app and reportedly targeting YouTube.

Russia's internet services regulator Roskomnadzor announced on Aug. 9 that the messenger Signal is blocked

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Russia blocks Signal messaging app, reportedly plans to block WhatsApp

by Kateryna Hodunova, The Kyiv Independent news desk August 9, 2024

Earlier, Signal users in Russia complained about problems with the messaging app. It no longer opens without a VPN or other bypass tools enabled, the Russian English-language newspaper Moscow Times reported.

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Russian users say YouTube inaccessible amid complaints of massive outage

by Martin Fornusek, The Kyiv Independent news desk August 8, 2024

Thousands of Russian users say they cannot access YouTube from browsers or phones.

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Widespread YouTube outages recorded in Russia

by Martin Fornusek, The Kyiv Independent news desk August 1, 2024

The news comes days after a Russian lawmaker warned that the government would deliberately slow down YouTube loading speeds in response to Google's refusal to comply with Russian authorities' demands.

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Media: Special unit of GRU recruiting saboteurs through social media

by Rachel Amran July 25, 2024

A special unit of Russia's military intelligence agency (GRU) recruits individuals to perform sabotage operations inside Europe through Telegram and TikTok, the independent Russian anti-corruption project Dossier Center reported on July 23, 2024.

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Moscow plans to block YouTube in fall, Russian media claims

by Martin Fornusek July 12, 2024

The news comes shortly after Rostelecom, the country's leading telecommunications provider, said there are "technical problems with Google's equipment" which may "affect the download speed and quality of YouTube videos."

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X marks Bellingcat investigation into Russian hospital strike on Kyiv as 'potentially spammy or unsafe'

by Nate Ostiller, The Kyiv Independent news desk July 10, 2024

Bellingcat's July 9 investigation confirmed, using open-source materials and experts, that a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile had struck the Okhmatdyt children's hospital, Ukraine's largest children's medical center.

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US announces moves against Russia-linked bot farm aimed at spreading disinformation

by Nate Ostiller, The Kyiv Independent news desk July 9, 2024

According to the Justice Department, the bot farm was organized by a Russian national who worked as the deputy editor-in-chief of RT in 2022, and expanded with funding from the Kremlin and collaboration with an official from Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB).

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Kremlin bots spam internet with fake celebrity quotes against Ukraine

by Abbey Fenbert June 16, 2024

Fake quotes appeared over photos of celebrities such as Scarlett Johansson and Elton John, calling to end aid to Ukraine and describing European collapse.

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Media: Detained Ukrainian student at Moscow university to be expelled from Russia

by Chris York May 8, 2024

According to MediaZona, Serhiy Hulko was first arrested on April 3 and detained for 10 days. After his release he was detained again for writing "Glory to Ukraine!" on social media.

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10:58 PM

Opinion

Ukraine's Constitutional Court appointments: A test of EU commitment

10:54 PM

2 people killed, 15 injured in Zhytomyr amid explosions.

The cause of the explosions was not immediately clear and is under investigation, Ukraine's National Police said.

10:05 PM

Ukraine war latest: As Russia ramps up missile attacks, US halts promised air defense shipments to Ukraine

9:13 PM

Over 210,000 Russians sign contracts for war in Ukraine in first half of 2025, Moscow says.

"The pace is quite decent, good," Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council and former president, said.

9:00 PM

Azerbaijan

Arrests, raids, beaten and bloodied suspects — how Russia-Azerbaijan relations have unravelled

8:17 PM

European partners reportedly caught off guard as US halts arms shipments to Ukraine.

According to Bloomberg, some European allies hope the Trump administration will soften or reverse the decision.

8:09 PM

War analysis

Russia increasingly targets Ukraine's cities with cluster munitions, raising civilian toll

8:06 PM

Trump & Ukraine

'Major casualties among civilians' — US freeze on air defense missiles is terrible news for Ukraine

7:56 PM

Russia's Kupol military plant reportedly halts operations after Ukrainian drone strike.

The plant produces Tor and Osa air defense systems, as well as Harpy-type attack drones.

7:51 PM

Porn decriminalization petition in Ukraine reaches 25,000 signatures, forcing Zelensky response.

Pornography production and distribution are illegal in Ukraine, with broad interpretations meaning even sharing nude photos can result in jail time.

7:04 PM

Iran reportedly preparing to mine Strait of Hormuz, a possible boon for Russia's Ukraine war coffers.

If the Strait were mined, Iran could block one-fifth of global oil demand and spike world energy prices — a boon for Russia's oil-dependent economy.

6:58 PM

NATO chief urges continued US support for Ukraine as Pentagon halts arms shipments.

"When it comes to Ukraine, in the short term, Ukraine cannot do without all the support it can get," NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said.

1:56 PM

(Updated: July 2, 2025 6:14 pm)

Ukraine's deputy prime minister won't be dismissed despite corruption probe, court rules.

Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Oleksii Chernyshov will keep his position after a decision from the High Anti-Corruption Court on July 2.

5:55 PM

US envoy Kellogg denies agreeing to help halt Ukraine's drone strikes on Russia.

U.S. Special Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg denied that he agreed to "work on" halting Ukraine's drone attacks on Russia, contradicting Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko's claim.

5:49 PM

Video

Failed US peace effort left Ukraine worse off, expert argues.

The Kyiv Independent’s Chris York sat down with Michael McFaul, an academic and former U.S. ambassador to Russia (2012–2014), to discuss the state of the Ukraine-Russia peace process following U.S. President Donald Trump’s failed effort, the threat of U.S. disengagement, and a congressional bill introducing new sanctions against Russia and its trading partners supporting its war machine.

5:49 PM

Russia's Rosatom seeks to sell 49% stake in Turkey's first nuclear plant.

The project remains a cornerstone of Russian-Turkish energy cooperation.

4:11 PM

Ukraine suspends citizenship of Moscow-linked church head.

The SBU said it had established that Metropolitan Onufrii, also known by his secular name, Orest Berezovskyi, voluntarily received Russian citizenship in 2002 and failed to inform Ukrainian authorities of the fact.

4:09 PM

Interview

'Ukraine is biggest landmine challenge since World War II,' says head of world’s largest demining organization

3:50 PM

Ukraine denies another Russian claim of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast breakthrough, says small incursion repelled.

According to the statement, a small Russian reconnaissance group managed to briefly enter the village of Dachne, located on the edge of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. The group reportedly took photos with a Russian flag, but Ukrainian forces "eliminated them."

7:20 PM

(Updated: July 2, 2025 3:46 pm)

Business

As US aid to Ukraine dries up, new platform connects American investors with Ukrainian startups

3:27 PM

North Korea to send up to 30,000 more troops to aid Russia's war against Ukraine, CNN reports.

The fresh units may arrive in the coming months and are likely to be engaged in combat in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories, including during "large-scale offensive operations," according to a Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR) assessment reviewed by CNN.

2:45 PM

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