Ukrainian military men banned from using Telegram

Ukrainian officials, military, security and defense personnel, as well as critical infrastructure employees were prohibited from using Telegram on official devices, the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine said.

Photo: flickr.com by Ulises Hernandez Pino/Corporación ApropiACYT, CC BY 2.0

"The Chief of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov, provided substantiated data proving that Russian special services have access to personal correspondence of Telegram users, including deleted messages, as well as to their personal data. <…> Telegram is actively used by the enemy for cyberattacks, phishing, for distributing malware, determining the geolocation of users, adjusting missile strikes, and for other purposes," the department said adding that the ban will not affect "persons for whom the use of this messenger is part of their official duties."