Ukraine has banned military personnel, high-ranking state officials, and employees of defence companies and key infrastructure facilities from installing or using the messaging service Telegram on official devices.

Ukraine has largely banned the use of the online service Telegram for government, army and security employees. The reason given was concerns about

Ukraine has banned use of the Telegram messaging app on official devices used by state officials, military personnel and critical workers because it believes its enemy Russia can spy on both messages and users,

Citing national security issues, Ukrainian officials on Friday said the country's government agencies, military and critical infrastructure will be restricted from using the Telegram social media app.

"I have always advocated freedom of speech, but the issue of Telegram is not a matter of freedom of speech, it is a matter of national security," Ukraine's military intelligence chief, Kyrylo Budanov,

Ukraine has banned government officials, military personnel and other defense and critical infrastructure workers from installing the popular Telegram messaging app on state-issued devices, describing the move as necessary for national security during the war with Russia.

Military personnel and civil servants are prohibited from using Telegram on work devices. However, there are exceptions, according to the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC). "The National Cybersecurity Coordination Center (NCCC) has decided to restrict the use of Telegram in government bodies,