Valentin Petrov: Under the guise of fighting against “Telegram” social network, Russia is actually rebuilding its telecommunication space
Under the aegis of fighting against "Telegram" social network, Russia is actually rebuilding its telecommunication space and national networks. This was stated by Head of Service on Issues of Information Security of the Staff of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Valentin Petrov in his comment on the recent blocking of "Telegram" social network in the Russian Federation to the Radio "Liberty".
According to him, "Telegram" itself does not pose a major threat to Russia's information security, and it is not opaque to Russian intelligence services. "This is a much broader issue. Russia is building an informational and technical base for some significant events that can take place both inside the country and lead to an escalation of the international situation", - Mr. Petrov noticed. He added that in such a way Russia is preparing to shut outside world out as well as carrying out military mobilization training.
Mr. Petrov also informed that Ukraine is ready for the Russian hybrid war, an integral part of which is information and cybernetic warfare. "The relevant authorities are staying ahead and taking all necessary measures to protect their information and cyber security", - he said adding that, in particular, Ukraine blocked some Russian anti-Ukrainian propaganda sites last year.
He noted that the blocking of Internet sites, that is, the protection of our own information space, is a widespread practice in the countries of Europe: in particular, Germany recently adopted a stringent law, France is preparing the appropriate changes to the legislation in the field of information security. "But one should clearly identify the motivation. If Ukraine and Europe protect themselves from external aggression by blocking information resources that threaten information security, Russia does this to attack. That is, blocking in Russia is a matter of protection from its own people, from the manifestations of people's discontent. And these are completely different things", - the Head of Service on Issues of Information Security of the NSDC Staff explained.