The authorities limited the use of Telegram.

At a meeting of the National Coordination Center for Cybersecurity, it was decided to limit the use of the Telegram messenger in Ukraine. The restrictions apply to state authorities, military units, and critical infrastructure objects.

During the meeting, threats to national security related to the use of Telegram, especially from the Russian Federation, were discussed. The head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine emphasized the access of Russian special services to the personal messages of Telegram users, including deleted messages and their personal data.

Representatives of the SBU and the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine noted that Telegram is actively used by the enemy for cyberattacks, phishing distribution, and malware, as well as for establishing the geolocation of users and correcting missile strikes.

In this regard, it was decided to prohibit the use of Telegram on service devices of state authority employees, military personnel, security and defense sector employees, as well as critical infrastructure operator enterprises. The exception will be only for individuals for whom the use of this messenger is part of their official duties.

To prevent threats associated with Telegram, the Committee of the Verkhovna Rada on Humanitarian and Information Policy plans to refine the bill on regulating this messenger. The draft law should be registered by the end of September, and a working group will be created and the Ministry of Digital Transformation will be involved for this purpose.