Russia’s domestic intelligence service is claiming Ukraine can pull sensitive information from troops using Telegram at the front, and Moscow is turning the screw in public.
The fact that the warning was pushed through state outlet RIA Novosti signals tighter scrutiny of a platform used by millions of Russians, as the Kremlin prods users towards a state-backed alternative.
Russia’s communications watchdog has already limited access to Telegram for allegedly failing to comply with laws demanding personal data be stored locally, and voice and video calls were blocked earlier as pressure ramped up.
Russia’s minister for digital development, Maksut Shadaev, said foreign intelligence services can see Russian military messages on Telegram as well, while adding that the state will not block access for troops for now.
Telegram says it has seen no evidence that its encryption has been cracked and insists the Kremlin is spinning a pretext to push people onto a monitored alternative.
Telegram said: “The Russian government’s allegation that our encryption has been compromised is a deliberate fabrication intended to justify outlawing Telegram and forcing citizens onto a state-controlled messaging platform engineered for mass surveillance and censorship.”
