The spread of fake news by Russian channels has politicians in Kiev thinking about banning the messaging service. However, the platform is also an important means of disseminating official government information.
In Ukraine, it’s common to find this type of message on channels of the Telegram service, similar to WhatsApp: “The Armed Forces of Ukraine are recruiting homeless people”, “Ukrainians are going to surrender in Kharkiv”, “Ukrainian border guards have been authorized to open fire on those who try to flee Ukraine”.
Messages like these, monitored by Ukraine’s Center for Combating Disinformation, are distributed by allegedly pro-Russia channels on Telegram, apparently with the aim of spreading panic and fake news about Ukraine’s military affairs and political system.
Telegram’s speed and anonymity have increased the debate about the possibility of the platform being blocked in Ukraine. The issue has reached political circles, with discussions now taking place in the Ukrainian parliamentary commission on freedom of expression.
Popularity on the rise
But simply banning Telegram is no easy task. Its growing popularity in Ukraine has turned the platform into the most accessible resource for news consumption. Before the Russian invasion, only 20% of Ukrainians used Telegram as a news source. Today it’s very different: in 2023 alone, the app saw growth of up to 72%.
Telegram is popular all over the world, with between 700 and 800 million monthly users. While WhatsApp reigns supreme, Telegram is widely used in Eastern Europe, India, Indonesia, the United States and Brazil.
A key feature of Telegram is anonymity. Anyone can create their own channel and write anything while remaining anonymous. This means that unverified content, photos or videos can often be published.
Ian Garner, a historian and analyst of Russian culture and wartime propaganda, says that this anonymity makes Telegram a kind of “Wild West, where there are no rules, no control, and you have no idea what is real, what is true, who to trust or whether you should trust anyone”.
News for those abroad
Initially created by Russian businessman Pavel Durov and his brother Nikolai, Telegram has renounced Russian influence and moved its offices to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.
Durov earned the nickname “Russia’s Zuckerberg” for launching Vkontakte, the country’s largest social media platform, at the age of 22. In 2017, Vkontakte was banned in Ukraine. The Ukrainian authorities first raised concerns about the influence of Russian social networks and websites after Russia’s annexation of Crimea and its first offensive against Ukraine in 2014.
Despite this, Telegram has now become a vital source of real-time updates on air sirens and missile strikes in Ukraine. With many Ukrainians displaced or abroad and without access to television, some Telegram channels have become essential means of communication for the population to stay informed.
Personalities, political analysts and bloggers have created channels to disseminate information, but anonymous channels have become the biggest threat, as they often publish unverified information and outright lies.
Telgram’s influence grew so quickly that Ukrainian government officials had to set up their own official Telegram channels. Today, almost all politicians, from mayors to President Volodimir Zelenski, maintain official channels on the platform to disseminate information directly to the public.
One of the most popular Telegram channels in Ukraine is “Trukha”, short for True Kharkiv, in reference to the city near the border with Russia. The channel has over 2.5 million subscribers and, despite its name, disseminates news about the whole of Ukraine.
“Trukha” has remained anonymous for a long time and has faced accusations of spreading disinformation and sharing banned content, such as videos and photos following the Russian missile attacks. Despite its questionable reputation, the channel was invited to Zelenski’s end-of-year press conference in 2023, while other professional media outlets were denied access.
Security vs. necessity
The Ukrainian parliamentary commission for freedom of expression is not the only one concerned: Andriy Yusov, a representative of Ukraine’s military intelligence, sees Telegram as a threat to “information and not just information security”.
Oleksiy Danilov, former secretary of the Ukrainian National Security Council, echoed these concerns, particularly emphasizing fears about the anonymity of channels on the platform.
At the same time, some Telegram users expressed concern that a ban would violate their freedoms.
For Diana Dutsyk, head of the Ukrainian Institute of Media and Communications and a member of the Ukrainian Commission on Journalistic Ethics, however, a ban is unlikely. She points out that Telegram is used by the presidency, which indicates a lack of political will for such a measure.
But there is still a conflict between security concerns and the need for Telegram. “Considering its importance as a key tool for political influence, especially in possible elections, immediate blocking seems unlikely,” Dutsyk points out.
“A matter of life and death”
Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, chairman of the Ukrainian parliamentary commission for freedom of expression, said that the discussion is ongoing, without a final decision, and that the authorities are working to avoid a ban.
The commission does not have the power to ban Telegram in Ukraine, but it can issue recommendations. The National Security and Defense Council has the final decision.
A ban on Telegram could be the last possible step if cooperation with the platform doesn’t work, according to Yurchyshyn.
“The price of such flaws in information security, which allow Russian propaganda to easily penetrate Ukrainian information products, is very high in our country. It’s a matter of life and death for our citizens,” he sums up.
*** Translated by DEFCONPress FYI Team ***