Stand behind Ukrainian independent journalism when it’s needed most. Help us reach 20,000 members.

Skip to content
Edit post

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

by The Kyiv Independent news desk October 7, 2024 3:28 PM 2 min read
In this photo illustration, a Telegram App was placed in the IOS App Store on May 3, 2021, in Bargteheide, Germany. (Katja Knupper/Die Fotowerft/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)
This audio is created with AI assistance

Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada banned the use of the communication app Telegram for its officials on their work devices, MP Yaroslav Yurchyshyn said on Oct. 7 in a Facebook post.

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

The measure was recommended by Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council amid worries that the messaging app, founded by Russian businessman Pavel Durov, represents a danger to national security.

"I think that such security measures are quite logical. Unfortunately, there have already been examples of third parties obtaining data on state employees through Telegram," Yurchyshyn said.

The decision comes after Parliament Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk warned of fake messages sent from his Telegram account that he had not used for more than three years.

Lawmakers will be allowed to keep using Telegram for personal communication on their personal devices.

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 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.

Ukraine plans to restrict Telegram use for government, military, critical infrastructure
“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,” Ukraine’s military intelligence chief, Kyrylo Budanov, said.

Independent journalism needs a community —
not a paywall.

We’re working hard to show the world the truth of Russia’s brutal war — and we’re keeping it free for everyone, because reliable information should be available to all.

Our goal: reach 20,000 members to prove independent journalism can survive without paywalls, billionaires, or compromise. Will you help us do it?

Can we reach 20,000 members?

News Feed

11:51 PM

Trump 'very surprised, disappointed' at Russian attacks on Ukraine amid peace talks.

"I've gotten to see things I was very surprised at. Rockets being shot into cities like Kyiv during a negotiation that was maybe very close to ending," Trump said during a news conference in the Oval Office. "All of a sudden rockets got shot into a couple of cities and people died. I saw thing I was surprised at and I don't like being surprised, so I'm very disappointed in that way."
5:10 PM

All territory will revert to Ukraine, predicts US diplomat.

The Kyiv Independent’s Chris York sits down with Michael Carpenter, former U.S. Ambassador to OSCE and senior director for Europe at the National Security Council, to discuss the current lagging U.S. military support for Ukraine amid the ongoing ceasefire talks with Russia. Carpenter also offers his predictions for the future of Ukraine’s occupied territories.
MORE NEWS

Editors' Picks

Enter your email to subscribe
Please, enter correct email address
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Explaining Ukraine with Kate Tsurkan
* indicates required
Successfuly subscribed
Thank you for signing up for this newsletter. We’ve sent you a confirmation email.