By Sultan Musayev | 2026-02-25

Russia's attempt to tighten control over the internet has revealed something arguably more troubling than censorship: its military may lack effective secure communications of its own. As Roskomnadzor, the country's communications watchdog, moves to restrict the messenger Telegram, pro-war voices warn the app has become indispensable for coordination on the battlefield.

Earlier this month, Roskomnadzor began restricting access to Telegram and users reported disruptions affecting WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube nationwide. Officials said Telegram had failed to comply with Russian law, including requirements related to data security and combating fraud and terrorism. Authorities appear to be steering users toward Max, a state-controlled Russian messaging platform.

This time regulators also deployed a new technical mechanism, removing YouTube from the National Domain Name System (NDNS), which effectively made the site inaccessible in Russia without a VPN.

Frontline tool

While previous restrictions mainly hurt businesses and so-called influencers, the throttling of Telegram triggered alarm among pro-war commentators and some military figures, who say the app functions as a primary coordination tool for Russian forces in Ukraine.

One of such channels, Arkhangel Spetsnaza (Archangel of Special Forces), warned that slowing Telegram could delay intelligence exchange at command level and disrupt drone operations, claiming that strikes that typically take minutes to coordinate could take hours instead.

Pro-war bloggers also say troops use Telegram to share coordinates, track enemy movement, request fire support and manage logistics. Medics and rescue teams rely on it to coordinate evacuations, transmit casualty information and organize medical paperwork, they add.

Arkhangel Spetsnaza also uses Telegram to crowd-fund equipment for troops. The channel's author estimated that blocking the messenger could cut donations by 70–80%, potentially reducing supplies of drones, thermal imagers and other frontline gear.

Kremlin pushback

The reports prompted a rare public response from the Kremlin. Presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov questioned the claims.

"I do not think one can imagine frontline communications being facilitated via Telegram or any other messenger. To imagine such a thing is difficult -- if not impossible," Peskov said February 11.

His remarks drew sharp criticism on social media.

"The Z-community already considered Peskov a fool, but today he has cemented that reputation," wrote the author of the Telegram channel Na Zzzzzapadnom Fronte Bez Peremen, referring to the loose pro-war movement built around the "Z" symbol.

A pro-Kremlin author of the Filolog v Zasade channel responded to Peskov's statement by quoting a Soviet film line: "The government lives on another planet, my dear!"

Another pro-war channel, Kak Ya Poekhal Na Voynu (How I went to war). Platon Mamatov, said that four years into the war no viable alternatives to Telegram had emerged for Russian forces.

As accounts of Telegram use by the military continued to spread, several prominent pro-Kremlin media figures began warning that the app itself endangers Russian forces, signaling what appears to be a coordinated shift in messaging after complaints from the front.

State television host Vladimir Solovyov said information shared on the app is reaching the enemy in near real time, citing what he described as tragic frontline incidents.

War correspondent Alexander Sladkov linked the deaths of senior officers and mass-casualty strikes, including the attack on Russian troops in Makiivka in early 2023, to the use of Telegram and other messaging platforms, arguing that gadget signals expose troop concentrations.

Viktor Bout, a now-Russian lawmaker who was imprisoned in the United States for over 10 years on arms trafficking charges, added that Telegram could be accessible to foreign intelligence services and accused such platforms of facilitating crimes and fraud "in the interests of our enemies."

Systemic failures

Military experts say reliance on civilian apps reflects deeper problems in Russia's communications infrastructure.

Dauren Ospanov, a retired Kazakh army major, said dependence on a commercial messenger during wartime poses major security risks.

"You are Russia, you are at war with a pro-Western state, and yet your army's primary communication channel is a free mobile app controlled by a French citizen [Pavel Durov]," Ospanov told Kontur. "It's very strange."

"And then," he added, "you go ahead and block it."

Officially, Russia fields signal troops equipped with secure communications systems. But military analyst Yan Matveev told Deutsche Welle that modernization efforts stalled for years, leaving many units reliant on outdated infrastructure.

According to Meduza, Russia's Sozvezdie-M2 tactical command system, which included its own military messaging platform, was developed from Soviet-era designs and tested in Syria.

By 2024, however, it had still failed to enter full service because of technical flaws, procurement problems and bureaucracy. Another obstacle was dependence on Western components that became unavailable under sanctions.

Analysts say the situation is indicative of broader governance failures. Political scientist Dosym Satpaev said corruption has distorted reporting within Russia's power structure.

"As a result, the Kremlin makes strategic decisions based on fabricated data regarding its own capabilities," Satpaev told Kontur. "This poses a serious threat to Russia itself, particularly during wartime."