Ukraine bans officials, military personnel from using Telegram app on official devices

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) – The National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine has banned military personnel and civil servants from using the Telegram messaging app on official devices, says an official announced on Friday.

The council's press service announced on Facebook that the decision was made on Thursday at a meeting of the National Cybersecurity Coordination Center.

Officials, military personnel, security and defense personnel, and critical infrastructure operators are all prohibited from installing and using Telegram on office devices, the statement said.

Representatives of Ukraine's intelligence services accused Russia of using Telegram for phishing and cyberattacks, as well as obtaining user geolocation data to adjust airstrikes.

They also claimed that Russian intelligence services have access to users' personal correspondence and data.