On Telegram, Russian military channels were quick to react to Pavel Durov's arrest. Among them, a photo quickly circulated: that of a missile, decorated on one of its sides with “For Durov”. Shells and message heading… West.
One after the other, pro-war discussion channels, fueled by real-fake military experts and “war correspondents”have defended the Telegram founder, called for his release and put T-shirts on sale “#FreeDurov”. “We now live in a world where the ideas of George Orwell have completely triumphed.”regrets Boris Rojine on Colonelcassadone of the most popular military channels.
Beyond the propaganda effects orchestrated on this vast platform of personal “blogs”, there is a reality: in two and a half years of “special operation” From the Kremlin to Ukraine, Telegram has become a powerful channel used by Russian military networks, including on the ground. Uncontrollable a priori by Western but also Russian intelligence services, Telegram is one of the bases of military communications on the front and information exchanges on the rear front.
Last year, Evgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner militia, made it his main communications network to criticize the high command and call for support among the public. For Russians – including soldiers – seeking information beyond the official messages on Kremlin television, Telegram is therefore part of everyday life. However, for the past 24 hours, instructions have been issued to the Russian general staff asking them to stop using the app. At the same time, propagandist Margarita Simonyan called on users to delete all their sensitive messages. Hence the beginning of a wave of panic: if Pavel Durov's arrest leads to a ban on his soldiers using Telegram, how can they continue to communicate?
“Main means of information exchange” in the Russian army
For military bloggers of all kinds, it is obvious: the arrest of Pavel Durov is part of the war waged by the West against Russia. “Telegram is currently the basis of our military communications. Now everything is at risk”, warns Alexei Sukonkinone of these military “commentators”, on his Telegram channel. Others, such as blogger Roman Alekhineare beginning to worry 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 [d’outils de communication efficaces]our army will become even more vulnerable”fears Roman Alekhine. Rybar, the Telegram channel close to the Russian Defense Ministry, sums up the problem: “The French police have arrested the head of the main means of information exchange within the Russian armed forces. They are taking away our only more or less normal communication!”
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Source: Lemonde
