Russia risks losing military coordination due to Telegram ban – ISW

The Russian Ministry of Defense has banned the military from using the Telegram messenger , which could worsen troop control and communications at the front.

This is reported by the Institute for the Study of War ( ISW).

Analysts are paying attention to the reaction of Russian military bloggers who criticize this decision. In their opinion, the ban on Telegram will only exacerbate the already existing communication problems in the Russian army.

ISW notes that the situation has become more complicated after restricting access to Starlink, and new bans may further impact coordination between units .

At the same time, the Kremlin is tightening restrictions on Telegram in Russia itself . Analysts have recorded a sharp increase in user complaints about the messenger. On March 14 , there were about 6,000 of them , but the next day the number doubled.

Most complaints come from Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Experts suggest that the authorities may gradually block Telegram to tighten control over information about the war against Ukraine.

ISW also notes that the restrictions are so extensive that in some regions even sites and applications from the so -called “ white list” do not work , including Russian state resources .

Analysts believe that the Kremlin may test society’s reaction by starting the lockdown with the largest cities.

“ These blocks are part of an escalating campaign of internet censorship … This may indicate Putin’s declining confidence in the stability of his regime,” ISW notes .

According to experts, the Russian authorities will continue to strengthen control over the information space against the backdrop of the difficult situation in the war against Ukraine.

It was previously reported that large-scale outages in the Telegram messenger began in Russia, preventing users from sending messages and uploading photos and videos.

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