NAIROBI, Kenya- In a significant move to safeguard national security, Ukraine has banned the use of the popular Telegram messaging platform on all official devices used by government, military personnel, and employees in the defense and critical infrastructure sectors.
The decision, announced by Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council (Rnbo), aims to mitigate risks associated with Russia’s ongoing cyber activities amid the ongoing conflict.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, concerns over cyber warfare have escalated.
Ukraine’s Rnbo emphasized that Telegram poses unique threats, stating, “Telegram is actively used by the enemy for cyber-attacks, the distribution of phishing and malicious software, user geolocation, and missile strike correction.”
While Telegram is widely used for communication in both Ukraine and Russia, Ukrainian authorities now consider it a liability on official devices.
The ban follows credible evidence presented by military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov, showing that Russian special services could access not only active but also deleted Telegram messages from Ukrainian officials.
Budanov made it clear this is not about curbing free speech but prioritizing national security.
However, not everyone is affected. Officials whose roles require Telegram for work are exempt from the ban.
Additionally, Andriy Kovalenko, head of Rnbo’s counter-disinformation center, clarified that the restriction only applies to government-issued devices, not personal smartphones.
This means that Ukrainian officials and military personnel can still manage and update their official Telegram pages.
Telegram’s end-to-end encryption has long been touted as a selling point, but its security vulnerabilities in the context of state-level espionage have raised alarm bells.
The platform, co-founded in 2013 by Russian-born Pavel Durov, has consistently positioned itself as a free speech champion. Durov left Russia a year after its launch, following his refusal to shut down opposition groups on the platform at the government’s request.
Despite the ban, Telegram remains a top social platform in Ukraine. A 2023 USAID-Internews survey found that 72pc of Ukrainians relied on Telegram for news consumption.
This widespread use poses a tricky challenge for Ukrainian authorities who balance the need for secure communication with the platform’s popularity.
Durov, now a French citizen, has continued to defend Telegram as a bastion of free speech. Recently, he found himself under investigation in France over allegations tied to organized crime, fueling debates about the responsibilities of platform owners in moderating content and ensuring user privacy.
As Ukraine navigates these challenges, the decision to ban Telegram on official devices highlights the delicate intersection of security, free speech, and technology in a time of war.