News Feed, Ukraine, Russia, Cybersecurity, Telegram, Kyrylo Budanov

Ukraine plans to restrict Telegram use for government, military, critical infrastructure

by Kateryna Hodunova and The Kyiv Independent news desk September 20, 2024 2:31 PM 2 min read

Ukraine's National Coordination Center for Cybersecurity (NCCC) has restricted the use of Telegram messenger. — The Telegram messaging app on an App Store page on a mobile phone on Aug. 29, 2024. (Betty Laura Zapata/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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Ukraine's National Coordination Center for Cybersecurity on Sept. 20 recommended restrictions for the use of the Telegram messenger app by government agencies, military, and critical infrastructure facilities.

Telegram remains one of the most popular social media platforms among Ukrainians. A September 2023 poll by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology indicated that 44% of Ukrainians use Telegram to receive information and news.

The app is also actively used by Russia, its military forces, and intelligence services to undermine Ukraine's war effort and boost its own. Ukraine's military intelligence chief, Kyrylo Budanov, earlier called the messenger app "harmful" and a "threat to our national security."

During a recent meeting of the National Security and Defense Council, Budanov provided "substantiated evidence" that Russian intelligence services have access to Telegram users' personal correspondence, even deleted messages, and their personal data.

"I have always advocated freedom of speech, but the issue of Telegram is not a matter of freedom of speech, it is a matter of national security," Budanov said.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said that Telegram is actively used by Russia for cyberattacks, spreading phishing and malware, establishing user geolocation, and adjusting missile strikes against Ukrainian cities and villages.

As a result, Ukraine's cybersecurity center decided to ban the Telegram app on official devices of government officials, military personnel, employees of the security and defense sector, and critical infrastructure enterprises.

The only exceptions will be those for whom the use of this messenger is "part of their official duties," according to the statement.

The popularity of Telegram in Ukraine skyrocketed after the start of the invasion in 2022, particularly due to its anonymous channels that mass-spread content to subscribers while preserving the full anonymity of the publisher.

Telegram CEO and co-founder Pavel Durov was briefly detained in France and later charged with "complicity in managing an online platform to allow illicit transactions by an organized group" and other crimes.

Russian-born Durov has claimed he is a pariah and has been effectively exiled from Russia, but on Aug. 27, it was reported he had visited Russia over 60 times since leaving the country.

Authors: Kateryna Hodunova, The Kyiv Independent news desk

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