Russian Intelligence Deems Telegram a Threat to Army Security

The Russian security apparatus has taken decisive steps to limit the influence of the country's most popular communication platform. The Federal Security Service reported seizing evidence indicating that the Ukrainian army can obtain strategic information transmitted by Russian military personnel on the front lines almost in real time. FSB warns that using the app directly endangers the lives of military personnel. In response to these reports, Roskomnadzor began technically limiting the bandwidth for Telegram, which is interpreted as preparation for a complete blocking of the service. The censorship actions by Moscow, however, are causing serious side effects on the front line itself. According to reports from the Bloomberg agency, blocking access to the app is backfiring, hitting Russian logistics and coordination of military operations. Many field commanders rely on Telegram for transmitting orders and analyzing maps, using the official Russian network infrastructure. When this infrastructure becomes subject to censorship, units lose a key communication channel. As an alternative, the Kremlin is pushing the state messenger Max, which experts assess as a tool of total surveillance, allowing full control over transmitted content and its automatic filtering by propaganda algorithms. Telegram was founded in 2013 by the Durov brothers, creators of the VKontakte portal. Although the app was long considered a safe haven for the opposition, after 2022 it paradoxically became the main communication tool for both Russian officials and so-called war bloggers supporting the invasion. „ФСБ располагает достоверной информацией о том, что вооруженные силы и спецслужбы Украины способны в кратчайшие сроки получать информацию из мессенджера Telegram и использовать ее в военных целях.” (The FSB has reliable information that the armed forces and special services of Ukraine are capable of obtaining information from the Telegram messenger in the shortest possible time and using it for military purposes.) — FSB Statement At the same time, diplomatic tensions between Slovakia and Ukraine are escalating. Prime Minister Robert Fico threatened to halt emergency electricity supplies to the neighbor if Kyiv does not restore oil transit for Slovak refineries. This dispute fits into the broader context of the energy crisis and attempts by Europe to become independent from Russian raw materials, which hurts the interests of countries maintaining close economic relations with Moscow. This situation forces Kyiv to balance between the requirements of the wartime embargo and the need to maintain stability of electricity supplies for its own citizens.

Perspektywy mediów: Criticizes Russian censorship attempts as a sign of military weakness and a drive for full societal control through surveillance. Emphasizes the priority of protecting intelligence data and the necessity of eliminating Western technologies from Russian defense systems.