Main points
- Ukraine is discussing the possibility of blocking Telegram, but the decision depends on political will and the reaction of society, which massively uses this messenger.
- A more realistic option is considered to be deanonymization of users, but this is difficult to implement without cooperation with the Telegram administration.
Can Telegram be blocked in Ukraine and what is needed for this / Collage 24 Channel / Freepik
The issue of restricting Telegram has been raised again in Ukraine. The parliament admits that it is technically possible, but the decision depends not only on infrastructure. It is about political will, security risks, and the reaction of society, which uses this messenger en masse.
Is the state ready to take radical steps?
The head of the parliamentary committee on freedom of speech, Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, said that there are no technical obstacles to completely blocking Telegram in Ukraine. According to him, the simplest scenario is a complete ban on access to the service. However, this requires a separate political decision and the sanction of the National Security and Defense Council, UNIAN writes.
Despite the fact that there are opportunities for restrictions, the authorities are in no hurry to take such a step. The reason is the scale of the audience. According to estimates, about 70-80 percent of Ukrainians use the messenger. Telegram has become one of the key channels for receiving news, official messages and communication during the war. A sharp blocking could cause a serious public outcry.
What might work?
A more realistic option is currently called deanonymization of users. These are mechanisms that would allow identifying individuals who use the platform for illegal activities. At the same time, implementing such a scenario without cooperation with the service administration seems problematic.
Yurchyshyn noted that Telegram founder Pavel Durov has long avoided communication with the Ukrainian side. He also pointed out that the company's server infrastructure is connected to Russia. This adds a political and security dimension to the issue of the platform's operation in Ukraine.
We need to act now.
Separately, the official warned about the risk of a cyclical discussion. If no decisions are made now, the topic may again recede into the background. According to him, it will only be returned to after another incident or terrorist attack, when it becomes clear that the perpetrators were recruited via Telegram.
Thus, the issue of blocking the messenger remains more political than technical. The balance between freedom of speech, security, and real influence on the information space will determine the state's further steps.
- Recall that in mid-February, the media began talking about the fact that Telegram in Russia is planned to be completely blocked on April 1, 2026 due to “systemic violations of the law.” The Russians themselves wrote about this, for example, the Meduza publication.
- However, experts believe that these plans have another, hidden purpose. It is connected to the enemy's further offensive plans.
- Meanwhile, the restriction of the messenger's work has already caused discontent among Russian terrorists, who began to feel inconvenienced at the front, since their communications largely take place through Telegram.