In announcing the ban, Ukraine says it's uncovered evidence that Russian agents can access private user messages on Telegram, including deleted correspondence.

Ukraine has banned the use of the Telegram messaging platform on official devices issued to government and military personnel, as well as defence sector and critical infrastructure employees.

Ukraine has banned the use of Telegram on government-issued devices due to concerns that Russia can use the app to spy on communications and track users, a report has said. The ban was announced by the National Security and Defence Council after the head of military intelligence presented evidence of Russian surveillance capabilities on the platform.