"Telegram is a problem from the point of view of national security" — Head of the Defence Ministry's Main Directorate of Intelligence

Kyiv, Ukraine (Svidomi) — During the Kyiv Stratcom Forum 2024, Kyrylo Budanov told about the threat posed to Ukraine by the Telegram messenger, owned by Russian developer Pavel Durov.

"I am absolutely against the restriction of freedom of speech. But this is too much. That is, anyone can create a channel, and start writing whatever they want on it, and when they start doing something, they will hide behind the fact that it is freedom of the media. But this is not media freedom, it is called somewhat differently," Budanov said.

According to the head of the intelligence department, the problem is the prompt publication of photos and videos from the sites suffered from shelling by local authorities.

"Sending someone means paying money and, basically, taking a risk. It takes some time to order a satellite image, and telegrams are the fastest way to adjust strikes on certain targets," Budanov says.

But Kyrylo Budanov also sees benefits in the messenger. He says that Telegram can be used to convey information to people in the occupied territories.

Also on March 21, MP Mykola Kniazhytskyi registered a draft law on the regulation of Telegram and similar platforms for access to information. The authors propose to disclose their ownership structure and sources of funding upon request. Those with links to Russia will not be allowed to enter the Ukrainian market.

Mykola Kniazhytskyi explained his decision to regulate Telegram in Ukraine in the same way as YouTube is currently regulated.