Ukraine bans Telegram use on state-issued devices
Ukraine has prohibited the use of the Telegram messaging platform on official devices provided to government, military personnel, defense sector workers, and critical infrastructure employees. The National Security and Defense Council (Rnbo) announced that the decision was made to “minimize” security threats from Russia, which initiated a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
According to the Rnbo, Telegram is frequently used by the enemy for cyberattacks, phishing, malware distribution, user geolocation tracking, and missile strike coordination.
Telegram is popular among both the Ukrainian and Russian governments and militaries.
The ban was decided during a meeting involving Ukraine’s top information security officials, military representatives, and lawmakers, where military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov presented credible evidence that Russian special services could access Telegram users’ personal messages, including deleted ones.
“I have always supported and continue to support freedom of speech, but the issue with Telegram is not about freedom of speech—it’s about national security,” Budanov said.
The Rnbo added that officials whose jobs require the use of Telegram would be exempt from the ban. Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Rnbo’s Center on Countering Disinformation, clarified that the ban only applies to official devices, not personal smartphones.
He added that government officials and military personnel would be able to continue to maintain and update their official Telegram pages.
Last year, a USAID-Internews survey found that Telegram was the top social platform in Ukraine for news consumption, with 72% of Ukrainians using it.
Telegram – which offers end-to-end encryption – was co-founded by Russian-born Pavel Durov and his brother in 2013.
A year later, Durov left Russia after refusing to comply with government demands to shut down opposition communities on the platform.
Last month, Durov, who is also a French national, was placed under formal investigation in France as part of a probe into organised crime.
His case has fuelled a debate about freedom of speech, accountability and how platforms moderate content.
In July, Durov claimed that Telegram reached 950 million monthly active users.
