23 February 2026
Following the blocking of Telegram, Russian military personnel in Ukraine were advised not to use the state-run messaging app Max, the Z-channel Fighterbomber reported on Sunday, citing sources. “The Lao troops ( a Russian euphemism – TMT) received orders banning the use and installation of the world’s most secure national messenger on devices with advanced multimedia capabilities,” the pro-war blogger wrote.
A Mediazona source confirmed the ban on the state messenger for Russian soldiers and officers in Ukraine . According to the source, this is because the service is considered “insufficiently secure.” Fighterbomber also added that troops will “very soon” receive a unique “canonical program” that can be used for communications at the front. The sources did not specify the platform in question.
Two weeks ago, Roskomnadzor announced it would continue to impose restrictions on Telegram due to the company’s alleged failure to comply with Russian law and its refusal to combat fraudsters and terrorists. Following this, the Z community and the Russian military lashed out at the authorities for disrupting communications at the front.
In response, the head of the Russian Ministry of Digital Development, Maksut Shadayev, stated that the messenger would not be blocked in the “SVO” zone, emphasizing, however, that security forces have “direct confirmation that foreign intelligence agencies have access to Telegram correspondence,” and that they are allegedly using this data against the Russian Armed Forces.
On February 20, Roskomnadzor (Russia’s Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology, and Mass Media) claimed that Telegram had allegedly created and maintained an infrastructure for leaking personal data of Russian citizens to “probiva” services. The Ministry of Internal Affairs, for its part, added that these platforms had been used for terrorist attacks. On February 21, the FSB also joined the pressure campaign against Telegram , stating that “the Ukrainian Armed Forces and Kyiv’s special services have the ability to obtain information posted on Telegram and use it for military purposes.” According to the FSB, the use of Pavel Durov’s messenger “has repeatedly resulted in threats to the lives of military personnel.”
Mafia land can’t create anything. Even when they try to copy western technology they fuck it up.