Kremlin cracks down on Telegram
Russian telecommunications authority Roskomnadzor has throttled data streams and further tightened restrictions on the country's most popular messaging service Telegram, causing major disruptions. Russian soldiers have protested the crackdown as they also use the service for coordinating military actions on the front lines. What is behind the move?
Fear of the soldiers' wrath
Spotmedia explains what the Kremlin leader's motives may be:
“The only logical answer is that he wants to silence military bloggers. They have been extremely useful during the conflict, but in the event of a ceasefire the military propaganda accounts on Telegram would become a threat to Putin, who fears the wrath of his generals and veterans returning from the front. In this context, Russian representatives will now continue negotiations with the Ukrainian side. ... Despite the complicated situation after almost four years of war, there is now a small chance of a ceasefire. But the peace process itself will be far more complicated and protracted.”
Army weakened at a critical moment
Neatkarīgā is taken aback:
“It's noteworthy that the measures were introduced ahead of the upcoming Ukrainian peace talks on 17 and 18 February, which will focus on territorial issues. Even a partial paralysis of military communications will slow down the advance of troops, while the situation on the front line is de facto on the agenda for negotiations. Why couldn't the Kremlin postpone the blockade for a few weeks? ... Whatever the reasons, the invading army in Ukraine has now either completely or partially lost two reliable allies: Starlink and Telegram. The first was blocked by Elon Musk, while the second is something the Putinists will have to deal with themselves.”
Moscow self-deluded
The Kremlin simply overlooked the fact that communication on the front lines was widely conducted via Telegram, blogger Denys Kazanskyi explains in a Telegram post republished by gazeta.ua:
“If you build a house based on myths rather than the laws of mathematics and physics, the building will collapse. If you build a superpower based not on real achievements, but on lies and myths about your own greatness, it will fall apart. When the Russian authorities claim that Kupiansk has been taken, that the economy is growing and successful, that Starlink is not needed on the front lines and that Telegram is unimportant, all this is nothing more than a refusal to acknowledge objective reality. ... All those who act in this way face defeat.”