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Telegram has denied a Russian accusation that foreign intelligence services have breached its security and gained access to the messages exchanged by its users. The company’s reaction comes in response to Moscow’s allegation that information collected this way is being used against Russian forces on the battlefields of Ukraine. Russia turns up the pressure on targeted Telegram Foreign intelligence agencies can read Telegram correspondence, according to Russia’s Minister of Digital Development, Communications, and Mass Media, Maksut Shadayev. Speaking in the State Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament, the government official elaborated on Wednesday: “We have direct confirmation from law enforcement agencies that, regrettably, while Telegram was initially regarded as a relatively anonymous platform, used by our military during the early stages of the special military operation, recent evidence indicates that foreign intelligence services now have access to Telegram communications.” “What was once sporadic has now become an ongoing, systematic effort,” he further noted, quoted by the TASS news agency, alleging that the information they are gathering is being used in operations against the Russian armed forces. Shadayev then revealed that Russia has nevertheless decided not to restrict Telegram in the conflict zone in Ukraine, while expressing hope that its military personnel will eventually transition to alternative messaging apps. The minister’s statements come after Russia’s telecom watchdog, Roskomnadzor (RKN), recently slowed down the messenger as part of pressure to make it comply with Russian law, mainly regarding requirements to remove prohibited content. Russia’s system for internet censorship, which relies on TSPU (Technical Means of Counteracting Threats) devices deployed at internet service providers, allows for targeted and geographically defined restrictions. However, experts recently pointed out that throttling down traffic to Telegram has brought the country’s firewall to its technical limits, which is why the RKN decided to block Meta’s messenger…

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Filed under: News - @ February 19, 2026 6:28 pm