Due to a series of terrorist attacks, high-ranking officials are calling for the messaging app to be blocked, although parliament is currently considering another option.
Following the terrorist attack in Lviv, which killed a police officer, the discussion about shutting down Telegram has gained new momentum. The Presidential Office proposed completely blocking the messaging app, while the Verkhovna Rada proposed “taming” it or creating a Ukrainian equivalent. This was reported by Korrespondent.net and the portal PromPolitInform.
Complete Ban or at Least Control
Deputy Head of the Presidential Office Iryna Vereshchuk was the first to raise the issue of blocking Telegram and “other anonymous platforms” in Ukraine, accusing Russia of systematically using the app as a recruitment tool.
“If we need to limit the capabilities of these platforms to protect the lives of our people and safeguard national security, then we must do so,” she stated.
Later, after Russia’s terrorist attacks on law enforcement, she was supported by Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko. At a briefing, journalists asked him how often Telegram is used to communicate with the occupiers and whether the Ministry of Internal Affairs believes its use should be restricted.
“This is probably a question not only for the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Telegram is used more often. In percentage terms, I think it’s used at least half the time,” the minister replied.
Overall, Klymenko acknowledged the impossibility of completely blocking Telegram. According to him, people will still find ways to circumvent the block. At the same time, he requires oversight due to terrorist attacks, particularly against law enforcement.
The End of Anonymity or a Ukrainian Equivalent
Kyryl Budanov, the current head of the Presidential Office, is an active advocate for regulating Telegram in Ukraine. He raised this issue when he was still the head of military intelligence.
In September 2024, Budanov called the messenger a threat to national security but proposed registering channels on Telegram instead of blocking the app.
A similar opinion is currently supported in the Verkhovna Rada. Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, head of the parliamentary Committee on Freedom of Speech, announced yesterday that the government does have the technical capacity to ban Telegram, but the most likely option is deanonymizing users.
According to him, the messenger is very popular in Ukraine: 70-80% of users use it. Although there are alternative platforms, “they are not common among Ukrainians.”
Yurchyshyn predicts that the process of deanonymizing Telegram users will be difficult without cooperation from the messenger’s administration.
“And Pavel Durov avoided any communication with Ukraine until the very end. His servers are in Russia, that is, Telegram. A lot of his employees are in Russia,” Yurchyshyn told UNIAN, adding that it is unlikely that Telegram will be forced to cooperate without some kind of “stick,” i.e., the possibility of imposing sanctions.
The parliamentarian noted that deanonymization is currently being discussed, but there are currently no concrete proposals. Another option, according to the MP, is an alternative to Telegram – a messenger based on the Diia app.
“Technically, the state is capable of creating its own network, but it’s important that it’s trusted. And if the state leadership sets a personal example, it’s highly likely that businesses will eventually trust such a product,” he said.
“It’s impossible to say that Telegram is irreplaceable; it’s convenient and familiar, but the issue of convenience and familiarity is offset by the issue of security,” Yurchyshyn added.
When to expect changes
When asked by journalists whether any changes might occur in the coming months, Yurchyshyn said: “I really hope that there are enough deaths for us to begin working on this matter seriously. Therefore, I really hope that it will be in the coming months.”
According to the MP, if nothing happens in the coming months, then most likely “this will be forgotten again and will be reactivated, unfortunately, during the next terrorist attack carried out by Ukrainian citizens recruited through Telegram.”
