Telegram has refuted allegations made by Russia’s Digital Development Minister Maksut Shadayev that foreign intelligence agencies can access messages sent by Russian soldiers in Ukraine, as Moscow tightens restrictions on the messaging application. The denial came Thursday, according to Reuters.
“No breaches of Telegram’s encryption have ever been found… The Russian government’s allegation that our encryption has been compromised is a deliberate fabrication,” Telegram stated.
Shadayev told State Duma lawmakers on Wednesday that there was “ample evidence” that access to Telegram messages had been exploited in military operations against Russian forces. He did not identify which countries’ intelligence services were involved, according to reporting by The Moscow Times.
The minister’s comments followed a public outcry after Russia’s state media regulator, Roskomnadzor, announced fresh restrictions on Telegram last week. Roskomnadzor accused Telegram of failing to adequately address fraud and protect user data, while Shadayev claimed the company had ignored 150,000 government requests to remove prohibited content, including child pornography, as reported by Türkiye Today.
Telegram characterized the new measures as “intended to justify outlawing Telegram and forcing citizens on to a state-controlled messaging platform engineered for mass surveillance and censorship,” referencing Russia’s government-backed messenger, Max. WhatsApp, which has over 100 million users in Russia, made similar accusations last week following confirmation from the Kremlin that Roskomnadzor was blocking the app.
Shadayev expressed hope that Russian soldiers would transition to Max, but affirmed that Telegram would remain operational in areas near the front lines in Ukraine. This decision came after pro-war bloggers and State Duma members voiced concerns that restrictions on Telegram would disrupt command and control systems for Russian troops.
Telegram, headquartered in Dubai, and its founder, Pavel Durov, have consistently denied sharing user data or private messages with governments.
Despite the restrictions, President Vladimir Putin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, stated Thursday that the Kremlin’s own Telegram channel was unaffected. “We have many compatriots abroad, and many foreigners are interested in the president’s agenda. It’s in our interest to communicate that agenda,” Peskov said, responding to a journalist from the Telegram channel Life who reported difficulty loading the Kremlin’s videos.
