Kyiv bans military personnel and officials from using Telegram

Ukraine has banned military personnel, high-ranking state officials, and employees of defence companies and key infrastructure facilities from installing or using the messaging service Telegram on official devices.

The decision was made by the Coordination Centre for Cybersecurity of the National Security and Defence Council, a statement from the Ukrainian parliament said on Friday.

Individuals whose tasks involve communication via Telegram are exempt from the regulation.

According to Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Centre for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defence Council, the directive primarily affects work computers. It does not extend to private mobile phones, he said.

The Ukrainian intelligence service and the General Staff have repeatedly stated that Russian services use Telegram for cyberattacks, phishing, smuggling malware and even locating devices, which then become an easy target for missile attacks.