Ukraine ‘weaponizes' Telegram & WhatsApp against Russia
According to Russian investigators, Ukrainian intelligence officers, alongside other malicious actors like swindlers and con artists, often rely on databases containing personal data that are obtained through WhatsApp or Telegram that allow them to recruit agents or identify targets inside Russia.
Such actions could be 'significantly more challenging or outright impossible' if not for the lax security measures on the part of the messengers themselves, the Russian investigators probing such cases believe.
One aspect of their digital security architecture that Moscow takes issue with is the international tech companies' refusal to store sensitive personal data of Russian users within Russian jurisdiction. The Russian authorities have repeatedly reached out to the owners of both Telegram and WhatsApp, urging them to comply with relevant national regulations, but to no avail.
Last month, the head of the State Duma's Information Policy Committee, Sergey Boyarsky, warned that both messengers could face a ban in Russia if they continue to ignore the law. 'Telegram does not comply with the existing legislation when it comes to the [storage] of personal data… and it will face sanctions, which are most likely to be more severe than now,' he told TASS at the time.
Russia is not the only nation facing such problems, according to law enforcement officials. Its partners within the Shanghai Cooperation Organization have repeatedly reached out to Moscow seeking assistance with tackling radical and extremist content in messengers like Telegram.
Moscow advocates digital sovereignty, encouraging Russian companies to develop isolated systems and promoting state-run platforms. Russian tech giants VK is currently working on what could become a 'national messaging platform' called Max, widely described as a Russian equivalent to China's WeChat, which could provide a wide range of services within a single app.
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