The Telegram messaging app has dismissed allegations by the Russian government that its encryption has been breached by foreign intelligence services saying that it's not found any breaches of its encryption.
In response to a Reuters request for comment, the company said, "No breaches of Telegram's encryption have ever been found."
It added, "The Russian government's allegation that our encryption has been compromised is a deliberate fabrication intended to justify outlawing Telegram and forcing citizens on to a state-controlled messaging platform engineered for mass surveillance and censorship."
The comment comes after Digital Development Minister Maksud Shadayev said on Wednesday that foreign intelligence services were able to see Telegram messages sent by Russian troops fighting in Ukraine.
Russia's state communications regulator has introduced restrictions on Telegram over what it says is a failure by the company to delete extremist content.
The application is an important platform for public and private communications in the country.
Russian soldiers, war correspondents and politicians have said the app is widely used by troops - not only to communicate with their families back home, but also sometimes for operational purposes.
Russia has also blocked or restricted other foreign messaging platforms such as Meta's WhatsApp and Apple's FaceTime.
Authorities have urged people to switch to a new state-backed app called MAX, rejecting allegations that it is designed as a surveillance tool.
Telegram argued the claim is intended to justify outlawing the app.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 5th of August, covering the latest developments....
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U.S. President Donald Trump says Iran has a "last chance" to sign what he described as "a good document", claiming talks are continuing at Tehran's request with backing from Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar.
Tehran had made plans to strike sites in Ukraine after Kyiv attacked an Iranian cargo ship in the Caspian Sea, a senior Iranian military adviser has said. Iran refrained from taking action after Kyiv said the strike was a mistake, Mohsen Rezaei told the state IRIB TV channel.
Nauru, the world’s third smallest country, has changed its name to Naoero, the Pacific island nation’s President said. The new name corresponds to the spelling and pronunciation in the national language.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 5th of August, covering the latest developments.
U.S. President Donald Trump said there was an "all-day negotiation" on Tuesday with Iran, characterising the talks positively while also threatening to hit Iran "really hard" if a deal was not reached.
Families of Moroccan migrants who crossed into the Spanish coastal exclave of Ceuta spent Tuesday searching for missing relatives or waiting anxiously for news, after a mass border crossing last week.
Pyongyang signalled possible new military steps after Japan tested a U.S.-made Tomahawk cruise missile, Reuters reported.
German police are investigating a suspicious object found near a runway at Leipzig, Halle Airport on Wednesday after an overnight security incident that temporarily disrupted operations.
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla has blamed the U.S. embargo for the country's repeated nationwide electricity outages.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 5th of August, covering the latest developments.
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