Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky government has banned Telegram. The order states that no government or military official will use Telegram. It is a threat to the security of the country.
The Ukrainian government has banned Telegram amid the war with Russia. Ukraine says that the use of Telegram by government and military officials can prove to be dangerous because Russia can use it for spying. Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council announced this on Friday. Earlier, Ukraine’s GUR Military Intelligence Agency had explained how Russia is capable of hacking this platform.
Ukraine says that the ban on Telegram is a matter of national security. Let us tell you that Telegram is used extensively in both Ukraine and Russia. After the war broke out in both the countries, many information were shared on Telegram itself. Zelensky said that the ban will not apply to those officials who have to use Telegram for their duty.
Let us tell you that Russian-born Pavel Durov is the founder of Telegram. In 2014, he left Russia and went to Dubai. Last month, Telegram’s Durov was arrested in France on charges of publishing illegal content. The Ukrainian Council says that Russia can intercept Telegram messages. It can even read deleted messages. Zelensky said, I have always supported freedom of expression but the use of Telegram is not related to it. This is a national security issue.
Telegram has clarified that this platform has never given data to any country. The content that is deleted is not brought back. According to a report, 33000 Telegram channels are active in Ukraine. According to Ukrainian media, 75 percent of people use it for communication.
President Volodymyr Zelensky signed orders imposing sanctions against 42 legal entities and six individuals, including citizens of Russia, China, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Iran. According to the documents, the sanctions apply to transport, manufacturing and trade, construction, investment and industrial companies registered in Russia, China, the UAE and Iran. These include the Russian ship lighting plant Mayak and the Kazan State Gunpowder Plant. Sanctions were also imposed on a number of citizens of Russia, China and Iran.
These sanctions are imposed for ten years and envisage a ban or restriction on the entry of foreign ships and military vessels into the seas on the territory of Ukraine, its internal waters and ports. Aircraft are also prohibited from entering or landing in Ukrainian airspace.
The sanctions include blocking of assets, ban on business operations (complete cessation), stopping outflow of capital out of Ukraine, ban on transfer of technology, intellectual property rights, suspension of fulfilment of economic and financial obligations and confiscation of land plots. (With inputs from The Talks)