Zelenskyy reveals Ukraine uses Telegram for intelligence inside Russia

2026-03-21 - 07:30

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has publicly confirmed that his country’s intelligence agencies are leveraging the Telegram messaging application for operations targeting Russian territory. Speaking at a press briefing in Kyiv on Friday, Zelenskyy responded to a question regarding Russia’s recent restrictions on Telegram by acknowledging that both sides are engaged in a digital battlefield. He stated that while Russian special services have long used the platform to conduct activities inside Ukraine, Ukrainian intelligence reciprocates by utilizing Telegram for its own work within Russia. “We know this, we identify it, and we fight against it. As for us, frankly speaking, we also work through Telegram in Russia,” he told journalists. The Ukrainian leader addressed the challenges posed by Moscow’s curbs on the messaging service, which Russian authorities began restricting in December before implementing broader access limitations in early February. Zelenskyy conceded that these restrictions complicate Kyiv’s ability to transmit signals to Russian society but expressed confidence that Ukrainian intelligence would adapt. He revealed that he had received reports regarding Russia’s alternative domestic messaging platform, Max, and vowed to target it as well. “We’ll get to Max too,” he said. Russia has progressively tightened its control over foreign digital platforms in recent years. Since 2019, authorities have banned access to several major social media networks and applications, including Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, and WhatsApp. Telegram restrictions were briefly lifted following complaints from military users, highlighting the platform’s importance even to Russian state actors. Zelenskyy’s candid admission underscores the growing significance of digital platforms in modern warfare, where messaging applications serve dual purposes for both civilian communication and covert intelligence operations. The acknowledgment also reflects the ongoing technological dimension of the broader conflict, with both Kyiv and Moscow seeking to maintain operational advantages in the information domain as hostilities continue.