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‘All systems have vulnerabilities’ Russian officials are still using civilian messaging apps for state business — despite the risks

Source: Verstka

Days after his August 24 arrest in Paris, Telegram founder Pavel Durov was indicted on multiple charges related to his refusal to cooperate with French law enforcement and his failure to moderate illegal activities on the platform. In Russia, the incident sparked rumors that Telegram could be blocked, with sources telling Baza that Kremlin, government, and security officials were advised to “clean up” their work-related communications. However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied that any such recommendations had been issued, and Russian officials told the independent outlet Verstka that they haven’t received any new guidelines and continue to use their usual messaging apps for communication. Meduza shares key insights from Verstka’s reporting in English.

“I check the major Telegram channels as soon as I wake up to stay updated on what’s happening — sometimes even before I get out of bed,” says a high-ranking Moscow official, describing the start of his day. Among the channels he follows are Brief and Nezygar (now renamed EZh/dnevnik and NZG, respectively), which were recently labeled “foreign agents” by Russia’s Justice Ministry. He also reads the Defense Ministry-affiliated Rybar, the news aggregator Ranshe Vsekh, and several channels focused on news from the capital. Most work-related chats among those in the Moscow mayor’s office are also on Telegram, where they even communicate with “Papa” (as some refer to Mayor Sergey Sobyanin).

The official also uses Telegram to stay in touch with family and friends. When asked if he takes precautions while using messaging apps, he admits that he doesn’t. He told Verstka that even after Pavel Durov’s arrest in France, officials weren’t issued any specific guidelines on the use of messengers. On Telegram, he might send friends a “politically incorrect meme about ‘Uke junkies’” or joke about colleagues. City officials also use Telegram to discuss sensitive topics, such as their frustration over the government’s throttling of playback speeds on YouTube, where many of them watch videos.

Until it ceased operations in June 2024, officials also used the less-common messenger ICQ. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov used to answer journalists’ questions over the app but now communicates with the press through text messages, according to two Kremlin pool journalists who spoke to Verstka.

For communication with more senior colleagues, officials rely on WhatsApp. However, important and confidential documents are sent through a special electronic document management system installed on work computers. According to the official, this system is the American software HCL Notes, although other Verstka sources in government agencies referred to it simply as the “electronic document management system.” The Moscow official also mentioned that he has several phones, one of which has a VPN installed so he can check Instagram from his wife’s account and read news from “unfriendly” publications blocked in Russia. He doesn’t use other messengers like Viber or Signal.

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According to this official, the effort to secure communications within government agencies has been “a struggle.” Over the past few years, there have been repeated discussions about developing a messenger specifically for officials, but nothing has come of it. In 2022, there were efforts to transition government representatives from WhatsApp and Telegram to VKontakte, Russia’s largest social media site, but this wasn’t fully successful. While some government institutions, officials, and even governors began actively maintaining pages on VKontakte, they didn’t abandon Telegram. The official explained that many had become accustomed to quickly getting news via Telegram channels, and the “advanced age” of many civil servants, who find it difficult to master new platforms, was an “aggravating factor.”

‘Don’t write anything you wouldn’t want read’

A source within United Russia’s Duma faction explained that since deputies are currently on vacation, there haven’t been any general recommendations regarding the use of Telegram. Another party insider mentioned that such guidelines aren’t really necessary: “All documentation has been strictly processed through the electronic document management system for a long time now. For personal communication, everyone uses whatever they find convenient. In this day and age, Telegram is a tool for deputies — it’s not just a messenger but also a social network that they need to monitor to stay up to date with current issues. Plus, many deputies run their own channels.” He added that he personally has all the popular messaging apps installed but primarily uses Telegram. He found ICQ “inconvenient” and said that WhatsApp “takes forever to load videos.”

A lawmaker from another parliamentary faction noted that he and his colleagues also have all the major messaging apps because they’re convenient for communicating with constituents. He mentioned using Telegram, WhatsApp, Viber, and even Signal, which was recently blocked in Russia. According to him, the faction’s leadership hasn’t issued any recommendations to stop using Telegram, although it has informally asked them not to use WhatsApp due to security concerns (WhatsApp is part of Meta, which is banned in Russia, although the app itself isn’t blocked). “Telegram is, after all, a domestic platform,” he emphasized.

A source from the Communist Party (KPRF) faction also noted that he hadn’t received any official recommendations regarding Telegram from his superiors. He mentioned that his fellow party members mostly use Telegram and WhatsApp. A source close to the State Duma’s Committee on Information Policy confirmed that lawmakers are still using the same messaging apps they used before the news of Durov’s arrest. “There’s an understanding that all systems have vulnerabilities. Just don’t write anything that you wouldn’t want someone else to read,” he said.

Three senators who spoke to Verstka generally echoed their lower house colleagues: they haven’t received any strict guidelines about Telegram and are using “whatever suits them,” as one of them put it. Federation Council members, who are mostly older, prefer to use WhatsApp for communication, although their work chats, like those in the Moscow mayor’s office, are mainly on Telegram, one source noted. He mentioned that he has several official chats on Telegram, as well as informal chats where he talks with fellow senators and party colleagues. Another source stated that, aside from WhatsApp and Telegram, neither he nor his colleagues use any other messaging apps, adding that “the guys all hash things out on Telegram.”

According to five of Verstka’s sources in regional administrations, plenipotentiary offices, and state-owned companies, there haven’t been any new directives regarding social media use following Pavel Durov’s arrest. “If something changes, it will only be after a direct and clear command from Moscow,” said an official from the Far East. “That’s how it was after the start of the ‘special military operation’ with WhatsApp. The presidential administration said we needed to switch from WhatsApp to Telegram. And in some regions, where officials love to kiss up to their superiors, they rushed to comply, forcing their subordinates to get off WhatsApp and delete it from their devices.” According to him, this resulted in a situation where, “because they themselves weren’t on WhatsApp,” officials couldn’t tell if the order was being followed, so people just kept communicating “wherever it was convenient.”

His colleague told Verstka that he’s “come to a simple conclusion”: “Want to be an open book for an American major? Use WhatsApp. For a Russian one, use Telegram. The notion that Telegram is secure and Durov is unbreakable is just a myth. Just like the existence of backdoors in WhatsApp wouldn’t surprise anyone either.”