By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Ukraine has banned government officials, military personnel and workers in defence and other critical sectors from installing the popular Telegram messaging app on state-issued devices, saying the move has become necessary for national security during the war with Russia.
The ban is contained in a statement on Friday released on Facebook by Ukraine’s Security and Defence Council.
The ban affects devices of government employees, military personnel, security and defence workers, and critical infrastructure employees, Ukraine’s National Cybersecurity Coordination Centre says.
The Security Service of Ukraine and the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine had in a meeting on Thursday said Telegram is actively used by Russia for cyberattacks, phishing, spreading malware, establishing user locations and calibrating missile strikes.
The ban does not include Ukrainians who want to use the app in their personal devices as well as people who want to use the app in their official duties.
Heritage Times HT gathered that the app is very popular in Ukraine where it is used for texting, reading news, including updates on Russian air attacks.
It is also the primary way Ukrainian officials, including President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, engage with the public and communicate on developments about the war with Russia.
It is not clear if Zelenskyy will continue using Telegram in his public communications after this ban.
Ukraine’s intelligence chief, Kyrylo Budanov, said Russian intelligence services are able to access the personal 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; it is a matter of national security,” the statement quoted Budanov as saying.
