The Russian Telegram channel Baza, which is closely connected to law enforcement agencies, reported that employees of the presidential administration and the Russian government, as well as staff from certain security agencies, were instructed to delete their work-related conversations in Telegram. A similar order was reportedly given to high-ranking officials in the Russian Ministry of Defense and some major businessmen.

Pro-government propagandists in Russia refer to Telegram as “the main messenger of the current war” and “an alternative to secure military communication.”