Ukraine prohibits the use of Telegram on state-issued devices

Ukraine has prohibited the use of the Telegram messaging platform on official 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 “minimize” threats from Russia, which invaded Ukraine in 2022. The Rnbo noted that Telegram is frequently exploited by adversaries for cyber-attacks, distributing phishing and malware, tracking user locations, and adjusting missile strikes.

Telegram is widely used by government and military personnel in both Ukraine and Russia. The ban was agreed upon during a meeting of top information security officials, military leaders, and lawmakers, where military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov presented evidence that Russian intelligence could access the personal messages of Telegram users, including deleted ones.

Budanov stated, “I have always supported freedom of speech, but the issue of Telegram is about national security, not freedom of speech.”

Officials whose roles necessitate the use of Telegram will be exempt from the ban. Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Rnbo’s counter-disinformation center, clarified that the ban only applies to official devices, not personal smartphones. Government officials and military personnel can still manage their official Telegram pages.

A USAID-Internews survey last year found Telegram to be the leading social platform for news consumption in Ukraine, with 72% of Ukrainians using it.

Co-founded by Russian-born Pavel Durov in 2013, Telegram offers end-to-end encryption. Durov left Russia a year later after refusing to shut down opposition communities on the platform. Recently, he has been under formal investigation in France related to organized crime, sparking discussions on freedom of speech and platform accountability. In July, Durov reported that Telegram had reached 950 million monthly active users.