Ukraine has officially prohibited the use of the Telegram messaging platform on devices issued to government and military personnel, as well as employees in the defense sector and critical infrastructure. This decision, announced by the National Security and Defence Council (Rnbo), aims to reduce risks associated with Russian cyber threats following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The Rnbo emphasized that Telegram is frequently exploited by adversaries for cyberattacks, phishing schemes, and to track users’ locations, as well as for adjusting missile strikes.

The ban was established during a meeting of Ukraine's senior information security officials, military leaders, and lawmakers. Military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov provided evidence of Russian special services' capacity to access personal conversations on Telegram, including even deleted messages. “I have always supported freedom of speech, but the issue of Telegram is not about freedom of speech; it is about national security,” Budanov said.

Officials whose work duties require the use of Telegram will be exempt from this restriction. Additionally, Andriy Kovalenko, who leads the Rnbo’s center for countering disinformation, clarified that the ban only applies to official devices, allowing government officials and military personnel to maintain and update their official Telegram pages.

A survey conducted by USAID-Internews last year revealed that Telegram was the most popular social media platform in Ukraine for news consumption, with 72% of Ukrainians using it. Co-founded by Pavel Durov and his brother in 2013, Telegram offers end-to-end encryption. Durov left Russia in 2014 after refusing to close opposition communities on the platform due to government pressure. Recently, he has been under investigation in France related to organized crime, which has sparked discussions about freedom of speech and platform accountability. Durov claimed last month that Telegram has reached 950 million monthly active users.

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