Kirill Budanov, the head of Ukraine’s military intelligence service, argues that the popular messaging app needs to be heavily regulated because it is allegedly “harmful” and “poses a threat to national security”.
According to Budanov, Telegram has become the main source of information in the country, “outperforming everything else” and today almost half of Ukrainians use the app to get information and news – not least about the ongoing war.
In an interview with Charter Radio, Budanov stated that he certainly does not want to shut down Telegram completely – but warned the Ukrainian people against using the service and advocated the introduction of far-reaching restrictions – including forcing all Telegram channels to establish a physical presence in Ukraine and removing the possibility of anonymity.
– Telegram is harmful. I have never been afraid to say this. It is a threat to our national security. I am stating this very clearly.
– If you want to, so to speak, disseminate some news, please register, so that everyone understands that this channel is registered by Ivanov Ivan Ivanovich, a Russian citizen, who resides in Moscow...
Telegram CEO arrested in France
By “registering” all channels first, administrators would be forced to take more responsibility than today for the content published, according to Budanov. Notably, the spy chief said earlier this spring that Telegram is a useful tool for Ukrainian intelligence to spread narratives in Russian-controlled areas.
Ukrainian lawmakers have also previously put forward a proposal to “regulate” Telegram – including requiring all messaging and social media apps operating in Ukraine to have a registered office in the country – unless the headquarters are located in the EU – and to disclose the ownership structure and funding to the Ukrainian government.
Recently, Telegram CEO Pavel Durov was arrested by French police on suspicion of a number of crimes committed by others on his platform, but was released on bail after a few days.
