Ukraine Bans Use Of Telegram Apps By Official Officials Due To Concerns About Russian Espionage

Head of the Ukrainian Military Intelligence Agency (GUR), Kyrylo Budanov, (photo: x @Adhi_Sekar)

JAKARTA Ukraine has banned the use of Telegram messaging applications on official devices used by government officials, military personnel, and other important workers for fear that Russia could spy on messages and users of the app. This was conveyed by the National Security and Defense Council on Friday, September 20.

The ban came after the head of the Ukrainian Military Intelligence Agency (GUR), Kyrylo Budanov, provided evidence to the council that Russia's special intelligence services could spy on the platform. However, according to Andriy Kovalenko, Head of the Security Council Disinformation Management Center, these restrictions only apply to official devices, not personal phones.

Telegram has been widely used in Ukraine and Russia since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and has been a source of important information during the war. Nonetheless, Ukrainian security officials have repeatedly raised concerns about its use during the conflict.

Telegram, based in Dubai, was founded by Pavel Durov, a Russian citizen who left his country in 2014 after refusing to close the opposition community on his social media platform, VKontak. Recently, Durov was arrested in France on charges of crimes related to child pornography, drug trafficking, and fraudulent transactions via Telegram.

The Security Council said in a statement that the Russian intelligence service had access to Telegram messages, including deleted messages, as well as user personal data. "I've always supported free speech, but Telegram's issue is not a matter of freedom of speech, it's a national security issue," said Budanov.

Telegram denied the allegations and stated that it had never disclosed user data or message content to any country, including Russia. They added that any message leakage that occurred was caused by compromised devices, either through confiscation or malware.

According to the Telemerio database, about 33,000 Telegram channels are active in Ukraine. In fact, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, military commander, and regional and city officials routinely provide updates on war via Telegram.

It is estimated that 75% of Ukrainians use Telegram for communications, with 72% of whom saw the app as a major source of information until the end of last year.