Ukrainian government agencies, military formations and critical infrastructure facilities have decided to restrict the use of Telegram. Government officials, military personnel, employees of the security and defence sector and critical infrastructure operators will no longer be allowed to install and use this messenger on their work devices.
The decision was made by the National Coordination Centre for Cybersecurity. At its meeting, the head of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov, provided data on the access of Russian special services to personal correspondence of Telegram users, even deleted messages, as well as personal data, the NSDC reported.
"I have always stood for freedom of speech, but the Telegram issue is not a matter of freedom of speech, it is a matter of national security," he said.
Employees of the Security Service of Ukraine and the General Staff said that Russians often use this messenger for cyberattacks, spreading phishing and malware, establishing the geolocation of users, adjusting missile strikes, etc.
- The questionable security of the Telegram messenger, developed by Russian Pavel Durov, is not new. However, discussions about its security have become more frequent in the wake of Durov's detention in France. He is accused of facilitating drug trafficking and other crimes through a lack of moderation.
- President Zelenskyy has said that he does not support regulation in this area.