Russia’s battlefield communications are facing renewed uncertainty after Moscow moved to restrict Telegram, an app widely used by Russian forces and pro-war commentators to pass orders, share situational reports and coordinate logistics in Ukraine.

On 10 February 2026, Russia’s communications regulator, Roskomnadzor, said it was introducing further limitations on Telegram, citing what it described as repeated legal violations and failures to prevent illegal activity. Reuters reported that the authorities were also considering additional fines, while users in Moscow complained of disrupted functionality.

The timing has sharpened concern among Russian military bloggers because it comes days after reports that Russian troops had also lost access to Starlink satellite internet terminals that had been used on the front line. The shutdown followed steps intended to prevent unauthorised access, leaving Russian forces searching for alternatives.

Taken together, the two developments have fed a debate inside Russia about the extent to which frontline units have become dependent on civilian technologies for basic command-and-control functions.

Telegram as a frontline tool

Russian soldiers, like many organisations and individuals, use Telegram primarily for communication: rapid messaging in groups and channels, the exchange of geolocation data, images and short video clips, and the ability to contact commanders and adjacent units quickly.

Analysts and Russian commentators describe it as a convenient, familiar and relatively discreet method of linking command posts with subordinate units, particularly when conventional military communications are degraded, scarce or difficult to deploy. The latest slowdown triggered anger among Russian “Z-bloggers”, many of whom operate almost entirely on Telegram and warned of effects on frontline communications.

In practical terms, the app has been used for everything from issuing immediate instructions to collecting reports from assault groups and coordinating with drone teams. One frequently cited scenario is a small infantry group in contact with the enemy that needs resupply or extraction: a short message and a pinned location can, in theory, enable higher command to dispatch drones or other means to deliver ammunition, food, batteries or medical supplies. When those links fail, units may revert to slower, more exposed methods.

What replaces it

Russian troops have access to radios and military communications equipment, but the availability and quality are uneven and often depend on the unit, the sector and the stage of the operation. Where Telegram becomes unreliable, the immediate substitutes are typically:

• Standard mobile voice calls, which are vulnerable to disruption and interception in contested electronic warfare environments.

• Tactical radios, which can be jammed, require disciplined procedures, and may not support fast transmission of imagery and coordinates.

• Ad hoc relay systems, including LTE modems, Wi-Fi bridges and mesh-style links, which still depend on equipment, power and proximity.

• Physical messengers, the traditional courier method used when electronic means are unavailable, with obvious limits on speed and survivability.

A recent analysis by the Center for European Policy Analysis said Russia’s loss of Starlink access would increase reliance on chains of terrestrial links—LTE modems, Wi-Fi bridges, relays and mesh networks—alongside radios and other stopgap systems.

The operational impact depends on the scale of disruption. Partial throttling may slow message delivery, degrade voice or video functions, and make it harder to move data at critical moments rather than producing a complete communications blackout. Reuters reported that Roskomnadzor framed the measures as “limitations” and that further steps were possible.

Corruption cases and the signals gap

Commentators have also linked the dependence on Telegram to longstanding problems inside Russia’s military communications procurement and modernisation.

Vadim Shamarin, a former deputy head of Russia’s General Staff associated with the communications branch, was sentenced to seven years in a penal colony in April 2025 on bribery charges, according to Reuters. His case followed an arrest reported in 2024 and was widely covered as part of a broader set of corruption investigations affecting senior defence officials.

Khalil Arslanov, a former deputy chief of the General Staff, was sentenced to 17 years in prison in July 2025 over fraud and bribery connected to defence ministry contracts, Reuters reported. The case centred on alleged theft linked to military communications procurement, reinforcing criticism that investment and oversight in secure military systems lagged behind operational needs.

The argument advanced by some Russian analysts is straightforward: if alternative, resilient systems had been fielded at scale, restrictions on a civilian app would be an inconvenience rather than a potential operational shock.

Strategic consequences

For Ukraine, any degradation in Russian communications can affect the speed at which Russian units coordinate assaults, call for support, adjust artillery and manage logistics. For Russia, the immediate challenge is to preserve short-range command links and data flows under conditions where civilian platforms may be throttled by its own regulator, and where access to foreign satellite internet may be blocked or controlled more tightly.

Russia has signalled it wants to steer users toward domestic platforms, including a state-backed messaging app promoted for installation on new devices, according to reporting cited by Reuters and The Verge. Whether such tools can meet battlefield requirements—speed, reliability, and resistance to interception—remains uncertain.