Russian troops continue using Telegram at the front and are preparing to switch to an “internal messenger”

Russian troops continue using Telegram at the front and are preparing to switch to an “internal messenger”

Despite reports of Telegram being banned at the front and Vladimir Putin’s statement about the need for a Russian alternative, servicemen continue to use Pavel Durov’s messenger, Verstka found.

Most servicemen admitted that they use the messenger through a VPN. One source said commanders are currently testing a special “internal messenger,” but so far it works poorly.

“I heard something in passing about the messenger, that it needs a clean smartphone issued only to the regiment commander and the chief of staff; ordinary soldiers still communicate on Telegram as before,” another serviceman claims.

At the same time, communication problems are worsening: soldiers are buying verified Starlink terminals, but some of them are still blocked. Russian alternatives, such as Yamal, work worse and cost more. All of this is causing dissatisfaction among both servicemen and their relatives.

“Once again, we have hit a dead end because in our country they do not want to allocate money for anything or do anything useful for the front, or for citizens’ lives in general. The enemy cuts off communications, and our own people shoot us in the heels by cutting off contact with loved ones and more,” one serviceman writes in a Telegram chat for mobilized soldiers.

Read about what is happening with communications at the front on Verstka’s website (with VPN):

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Verstka

“Our own people are to blame with their bans.” What is happening with communications at the front

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