This popular application got a stop sign from our neighbors. The reason is the threat of espionage

Ukraine has banned the use of the Telegram app on the official devices of government officials, military personnel and critical workers over concerns that Russia may be spying on both messages and users, it said on Friday National security and the Defense Council (NSDC). In Ukraine, the application is very popular and many residents consider it the most relevant source of information, he informs Reuters.

NSDC has imposed restrictions after the head of Ukraine’s military intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, presented evidence of Russian intelligence’s ability to monitor activity on the Telegram platform. However, according to Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Security Council’s counter-disinformation center, the ban only applies to official devices and does not apply to private phones. Telegram is popular in both countries, to both Ukraine and Russia, and has become a key source of information since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

However, Ukrainian security officials have repeatedly expressed concerns about its use during the war. Telegram was created under the leadership of a Russian businessman Pavla Durova, who left Russia in 2014 when he refused to shut down opposition groups on his VKontakte social network. Telegram said in its statement that it never provided any data or message content no country including Russia.

One side says so, the other the opposite

Budanov presented evidence that Russian special services can access Telegram messages, including deleted ones, as well as users’ personal data. According to him, it is not about the issue of freedom of expression, but about national security. Telegram responded by saying that message leaks were always the result of compromised devices, either through their seizure or malware, and that deleted messages are forever unavailable.

Approximately 33,000 Telegram channels are still active in Ukraine today. President Volodymyr Zelenskyj, military commanders and regional officials regularly publish important information about the war through this application, which is very popular among the population. Telegram itself stated that it is impossible for representatives of the Russian government to have access to data and information. For now, this issue remains unresolved, and for security reasons, Ukrainian officials cannot use the Telegram application for the time being.

The app was not found in the store. 🙁