Ukraine bans civil servants, military personnel and other employees of the defense and critical infrastructure to install the popular Telegram messaging app on their state-issued devices, describing the move as necessary for national security during the war with Russia, the Associated Press reported, citing BTA.
Ukraine's National Cyber Security Coordination Center said it had issued the ban on the official devices of civil servants, military personnel, security and defense workers, and critical infrastructure workers. This was announced today by the Security and Defense Council of Ukraine in a statement on Facebook.
During a meeting yesterday, the Security Service of Ukraine and the General Staff of the country's Armed Forces said that Telegram is being actively used by Russia for cyber attacks, phishing, spreading malware, locating users and calibrating missile strikes .
An exception to the ban will be made for people who use the application in the performance of their official duties. Ukrainians are free to use the app on their personal devices.
The app is widely used in Ukraine not only for sending text messages, but also for reading news, including updates on Russian airstrikes. It is also the main way in which Ukrainian officials, including President Volodymyr Zelensky, contact the public and transmit information about the progress of the war. Zelensky will likely continue to use Telegram in his public communications, as this is in his official capacity.
Ukrainian intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov said that Russian intelligence services have access to the private messages of app users, including deleted messages, as well as their personal data.
"I have always advocated and continue to advocate for freedom of speech, but the issue of Telegram is not a matter of freedom of speech, but a matter of national security,” said Budanov.