Telegram is tool of influence similar to Russian Orthodox Church. It should be either banned or regulated, - Siumar
The authorities should either ban Telegram in Ukraine or start regulating the messenger.
This was stated by European Solidarity MP Viktoria Siumar, Censor.NET reports.
According to her, the arrest of Telegram founder Pavel Durov and everything that happened after that is more than eloquent. The problem of the messenger has long been drawn to attention, but it is not something that people in Ukraine really want to notice.
"It seems to me that this 'light' of Russian propaganda, which occurred after Durov's arrest, where it was clearly stated that he was the 'chief of communications of the SVO', forces us to seriously consider what kind of messenger it is and what it is bringing to Ukrainians. "Chief of communications of the Russian military" was not just a word, it was followed by decryptions that most of the guidance of Russian missiles is carried out via Telegram," the MP said.
Syumar added that most of the Russian military's communications are carried out via Telegram, and it is not just a news messenger.
"The biggest problem I see is that instead of clearly showing how the Russian military uses Telegram in its aggression against Ukraine, the Ukrainian special services simply decided to make this tool their own.
And Ukrainians, unfortunately, can see where the missile is flying and where it is going thanks to the Telegram messenger. It's definitely an oxymoron, it can't be like that. If Ukrainians are being killed with this tool, then it cannot be perceived as a key tool for conveying information that is crucial for survival," she stressed.
"This raises the question, why did the Ukrainian authorities and special services create all this in the Russian messenger, and not create channels for delivering this information? This is a very serious question that needs to be raised today," the MP added.
Syumar also recalled that Durov had visited Russia 64 times since 2014 at key moments.
"I think that the reaction of Russian propaganda clearly showed that he was a direct employee of the Russian FSB. ... The authorities have the illusion that they control this tool, because they have created a bunch of Bankova's Telegram channels through which they can simply launch fake news against the opposition. One cannot help but see a real threat to national security. That is why we are now on the verge of a critical need to make a decision on Telegram," the MP explained.
Syumar also listed the options for further use of Telegram.
"The first option is to do nothing further, because 'we are being cautious' and so on. Let's be honest: this tool is similar in terms of influence to the ROC, which was largely an agent network. This tool is no less powerful today and is in the hands of the FSB. There is no option to do nothing, there is an option either to stop Telegram's work in Ukraine or to start regulating this messenger," she explained.
According to the MP, this requires Telegram to set up a representative office in Ukraine, anonymous Telegram channels to be banned, and if someone wants to create their own Telegram channel, they should use their own name so that the messenger undertakes to block prohibited content.
"Stop living in an information dump, we live in an information society. We need to be responsible for what we consume online today, and the state is responsible for this," said Siumar.
Durov's detention in France
As a reminder, the owner of Telegram, Russian Pavel Durov, was arrested in Paris on the evening of 24 August.
It was reported that on Saturday evening, 24 August, he was to appear before an investigating judge before a possible indictment on Sunday for a number of crimes: terrorism, drug trafficking, fraud, money laundering, receiving stolen goods, crimes against children, etc.
He faces up to 20 years in prison and will be tried as a French citizen, as he holds a French passport.
