Former president Petro Poroshenko urges authorities to ban Telegram messaging app in Ukraine

Anastasia Protz - 3 September, 12:57

Petro Poroshenko in the parliament. Photo: European Solidarity

The messaging app Telegram should be banned, as it is being used to organise terrorist activities against Ukraine, said Petro Poroshenko during a speech in the Verkhovna Rada (Parliament). Poroshenko, a former Ukrainian president, is a Member of Parliament and leader of the European Solidarity party.

Source: Poroshenko on Facebook

Details: Poroshenko thanked MPs who travelled to Lviv on 2 September for the farewell to Andrii Parubii and urged them to continue the late politician’s work in defending Ukraine’s independence and national unity.

Quote: "The Verkhovna Rada, Lviv and all of Ukraine have bid farewell to an outstanding Ukrainian, a true hero, Andrii Parubii. I want to thank everyone who stood shoulder to shoulder to honour Andrii. He was a person who could unite this parliament.

Even through his death, he brought us all together. He was someone who fought for Ukraine, and I can say without exaggeration that he was the best chairman of the Verkhovna Rada. We all recognise that."

More details: Poroshenko added that law enforcement agencies have proved that Parubii’s murder had been organised via Telegram.

Quote: "We need not only to speak but to act. Law enforcement has shown that the murder was planned through the Telegram network, and now Telegram is being used to create a network of terrorist attacks against Ukraine.

It is a matter of honour for us to ban Telegram in Ukraine immediately."

Previously:

On 30 August, Andrii Parubii, MP and former chairman of the Ukrainian parliament, was murdered in Lviv.
The Prosecutor General's Office reported that an unknown man had fired several shots at the politician, killing him instantly. The attacker fled the scene. A special police operation codenamed Siren was launched in the city to locate and apprehend the murderer.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on the night of 31 August-1 September that a suspect had been detained. Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko reported that the suspect was arrested in Khmelnytskyi Oblast.
At a briefing on 1 September, law enforcement officials said that they had not ruled out any lines of inquiry in the case of the murder of Andrii Parubii, but had identified a Russian link as the priority.
The suspect admitted his guilt in a conversation with journalists, said his actions had been "revenge on the Ukrainian authorities" and denied reports that Russian secret services had been blackmailing him. The suspect also stated that he expects a speedy verdict for him so that he can be exchanged for prisoners of war and find his son's body.

Background:

According to a survey by the polling organisation Rating, 40% of Ukrainians receive news daily from Telegram channels, while another 12% check them several times a week. YouTube, Facebook and the 24/7 national joint newscast remain among the most popular sources, but they have a smaller reach.
The United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) forbids its analysts from using the Telegram messaging app on work computers.
In September 2024, Kyrylo Budanov, Head of Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, called Telegram a threat to Ukrainian national security.
Data from a survey conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology from 1-6 September 2024 show that more than half of Ukrainians believe Telegram’s activity in the country should be restricted and monitored, while fewer than 10% support a complete ban of the platform.

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