Zelensky deleted the Telegram messenger from his own phone even before the Russian invasion

Although there is no direct evidence of cooperation between the Telegram administration and the Russian regime, Ukrainian intelligence services consider the messenger potentially dangerous.

President Volodymyr Zelensky does not have the Telegram messenger on his personal smartphone. The head of state was warned about the dangers of this application even before the full-scale Russian invasion, writes The New York Times.

“For security reasons, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who regularly posts war news to his more than 700,000 Telegram subscribers, does not use the application on his personal phone,” the newspaper writes, citing a Ukrainian cybersecurity official. In recent months, Ukrainian officials have become increasingly concerned that Telegram has become so widespread in the Ukrainian information space. In particular, it is noted that the enemy is actively using it for disinformation and espionage, for example, to collect intelligence during missile strikes. Because of this, back in September, Ukrainian military, government officials, and those working at critical infrastructure facilities were ordered to limit the use of the application on work phones. Some senior officials have suggested going further and tightening control over Telegram, including by hibernating large anonymous channels to disclose information about themselves.

However, a more decisive fight against the platform will not be easy for Ukraine. According to a recent survey, about 70% of Ukrainians use Telegram as their main source of news. 

“When air raid sirens wail and missiles fall on Ukrainian cities, people flock to Telegram groups to get real-time updates. Through the app, the government broadcasts official messages and gathers intelligence on Russian-occupied territories,” – notes NYT.

Ukrainian intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov has publicly warned of the dangers of Telegram, but said he doesn't see a need to block the app altogether. He has called for the removal of anonymity for administrators of large channels.