Panic mounts on pro-war Russian Telegram channels after Pavel Durov’s arrest

On Telegram, Russian military channels have been quick to react to Pavel Durov’s arrest. A photo began to circulate rapidly on the messaging app: that of a missile, emblazoned on one side with the words “For Durov.” The intended recipient of the symbolic artillery shell and its message? The West.

One after another, pro-war channels, powered by real and fake military experts and “war correspondents,” have come to the Telegram founder’s defense, calling for his release and selling T-shirts printed with “#FreeDurov.” “We are currently living in a world where George Orwell’s ideas have completely triumphed,” wrote Boris Rozhin on Colonelcassad, one of the most popular military channels.

Beyond the propaganda that emanates from this vast platform of personal “blogs” lies the reality that, since the start of the Kremlin’s “special operation” in Ukraine two and a half years ago, Telegram has become a powerful channel used by Russian military networks, including on the battlefield. Operating, in principle, outside the control of both Western and Russian intelligence services, Telegram has served as one of the backbones of military communications on the frontline and for exchanging information behind the front.

Last year, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner militia, used it as his main communications network for criticizing the high command and calling for public support. For Russians − including soldiers − in search of information beyond the official televised messaging from the Kremlin, Telegram has become part of everyday life. Over the past 24 hours, however, instructions have been passed around the Russian general staff requiring that it stop using the application. At the same time, propagandist Margarita Simonyan called on users to delete all their sensitive messages. If Durov’s arrest were to lead to a ban on soldiers using Telegram, how would they be able to continue exchanging messages?

‘Primary means of information exchange’ within the Russian army

For military bloggers of all kinds, it’s a no-brainer: Durov’s arrest is part of the West’s war against Russia. “Telegram is currently the basis of our military communications. From now on, everything is in jeopardy,” writes Alexei Sukonkin, one of these military “commentators,” on his Telegram channel, by way of warning. Others, such as blogger Roman Alekhine, have begun to express concern about the practical effects of this arrest. “As soon as Durov hands over the keys to Telegram − and it’s only a matter of time − and in the absence [of effective communications tools], our army will become even more vulnerable,” Alekhine writes with apprehension. Rybar, the Telegram channel close to the Russian Ministry of Defense, sums up the problem: “The French police have arrested the head of the primary means of information exchange within the Russian armed forces. They’re taking away our only more-or-less normal [means of] communication!”

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