Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Oct 07, 2025

Telegram becomes 'digital forefront' of Russia-Ukraine war, where people choose sides: researchers

Telegram becomes 'digital forefront' of Russia-Ukraine war, where people choose sides: researchers

Groups of users on Telegram discussing the war are peaking at 200,000 users per group

Encrypted messaging app Telegram has become the "digital forefront" of the Russia-Ukraine war, according to cybersecurity researchers.

The app, which allows users to partake in group conversations and send direct messages that cannot be traced by third parties, has also become a hub of misinformation, Check Point Research (CPR) said in a report published Thursday.

"Telegram has become a digital forefront of the conflict, where people are choosing sides online," Oded Vanunu, head of products vulnerabilities research at Check Point, said in a statement. "We’re seeing people from all corners of the world organizing themselves and resources to support either Russia or Ukraine."

The icon of the Telegram app on a smartphone. 


Some groups on Telegram, which do not have end-to-end encryption, are "coordinating cyberattacks to target Russia," while others "are serving as information and news hubs to report a raw side of the war" and "requesting funds to either support Ukraine or commit fraud," Vanunu said.

"All in all, we’ve seen a [six]-fold surge in Telegram groups themed on the Russia-Ukraine war the day Russia invaded Ukraine. I strongly recommend people to watch their Telegram activity closely and the types of people you may come in contact with," Vanunu said. "There’s a side on Telegram looking to take advantage of supporters of either Ukraine or Russia."

Groups of users on Telegram discussing the war have grown by "a few hundred-folds daily" on the app, peaking at 200,000 users per group, according to CPR.

Some fraudsters are using emotions surrounding the crisis to their advantage in asking for funds for the Ukrainian people. CPR suspects the requests and groups organizing such requests are fraudulent.

Telegram users asking for cryptocurrency donations for Ukraine.


About 4% of the groups on Telegram that CPR observed "are geared toward donations to support a side of the current conflict, many of which are suspicious," the report states.

Russian cyberattack groups are also growing by the day to more than 250,000 users per group. Cyberattackers on Telegram are pointing to Russian targets. About a quarter of Telegram groups CPR observed try to get IT professionals, hackers and other tech experts to unite in their attacks against Russian individuals and websites.

Telegram hackers targeting Russian individuals


Additionally, about 71% of the groups CPR investigated "are dedicated to news around the current conflict," much of which is not verified by real news sources. These groups sharing different versions of news … have increased significantly over the past two weeks. CPR noted that unverified "news" is "a form of psychological weapon, used to demoralize and influence morals."

Telegram did not immediately respond to an inquiry from FOX Business.

CPR suggests that users who do not want to fall subject to scams avoid clicking on unfamiliar links, beware of suspicious requests, avoid sending money to unknown sources and only consume news from trusted sources.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Australia Orders X to Block Murder Videos, Citing Online Safety and Public Exposure
Three Scientists Awarded Nobel Prize in Medicine for Discovery of Immune Self-Tolerance Mechanism
OpenAI and AMD Forge Landmark AI-Chip Alliance with Equity Option
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
France Names New Government Amid Political Crisis
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
×