The Kremlin has sparked anger by moving to slow down and restrict the messaging app Telegram, with proponents of Moscow'sfull-scale invasion of Ukrainewarning that it could negatively impact frontline operations. The policy is part of Russia's overall campaign to tighten its hold on the spreading of information. Soldiers have criticised the decision afterElon Musk blocked their access to Starlink internet.
"The front is in shock," one soldier wrote in a message posted on pro-war channels. "Starlinks are gone, now they're jamming Telegram too. How are we supposed to fight? With carrier pigeons?"
In a video posted on the Russian monitoring channel Lpr 1, three soldiers spoke toRussia's communications regulator, Roskomnadzor, begging officials not to further change access to Telegram. "I'm addressing Roskomnadzor," a man said. "My call sign is DJ. I'm currently on combat duty. Telegram is our only channel of communication. Do not deprive us of it."
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Another warned that the app is important for hitting back after Ukrainian drone strikes,The Kyiv Independentreported.
He said: "At the moment we need a tool like Telegram. Don't slow it down, don't block it. It allows us to exchange information quickly in order to intercept drones."
Another fighter from the Albatros anti-drone unit said the change would make Russian forces less effective, especially in newly invaded parts ofUkraine, as it would be harder to counter UAVs.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported that the Kremlin "throttled" Telegram on February 9 and 10.
Experts wrote: "The Kremlin has been engaged in a widespread censorship campaign to regain control over the Russian information space since late 2022, when the Kremlin began to censor, arrest, and coopt Russian milbloggers who criticised the Kremlin and its methods of waging war in Ukraine."
Source: Daily Express :: World Feed
