This was reported by the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine. The use of Telegram will be limited in state authorities, military formations and critical infrastructure facilities.

Telegram usage will be limited

The day before, on September 19, a meeting of the National Cybersecurity Coordination Center (NACC) was held. The meeting was attended by representatives of the management of the State Special Communications and Information Protection Service, the National Police, the General Staff of the Armed Forces, the Security Service of Ukraine, the Ministry of Defense and some other institutions.

At the beginning of the meeting, the Secretary of the National Security Council Oleksandr Lytvynenko emphasized the importance of joint efforts to strengthen national security and effectively counter threats in cyberspace. The main topic of the meeting was the discussion of national security threats associated with the use of Telegram.

The head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications of Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov, referred to verified data on the availability of personal correspondence of users of the Russian special services of messengers, even deleted messages and their personal data. This is especially true against the background of a full-scale war.

I have always stood up and defended freedom of expression, but the Telegram issue is not a freedom of expression issue, it is a national security issue.
– emphasized.

Telegram is actively used by the enemy for cyberattacks, phishing and malware distribution, geolocation of users, setting up missile attacks, etc. In order to minimize these threats, it was decided to ban the installation and use of Telegram.

Restrictions will also apply to official devices of employees of government authorities, military personnel, security and defense sector employees, as well as companies operating critical infrastructure. Only those whose use of this messenger is part of official duties will be exempt.