Communication of State Authorities of Ukraine on Telegram in Conditions of Risks and Restrictions

The article analyses the communication practices of Ukrainian government agencies in the Telegram messenger in the context of warfare. The relevance of the study is due to the rapid growth of Telegram's role in the Ukrainian information environment during Russia's full-scale invasion, as well as the public debate about its safety and appropriateness. Despite public criticism, numerous warnings from national and international experts, and official warnings from government agencies, Telegram remains one of the main tools of digital communication, including for the authorities themselves.

The study analyses recent publications and analytical reports, that cover information risks, low level of regulation of messengers, and the possibility of their abuse in the context of information security. The purpose of the article is to determine the scope, intensity and nature of the use of Telegram as an official communication tool of the Ukrainian public authorities. The objectives of the study include determining the level of institutionalization of the Telegram presence, analysing the activity of channels, audience coverage, and assessing the effectiveness of communication practices in view of existing limitations and risks.

The methodological basis was a quantitative content analysis of the Telegram channels of 29 authorities (central, local and specialized), which allowed us to identify patterns of activity, the intensity of content updates. The results of the study show a high level of presence of government agencies on Telegram (85.7 % have their own channels), but also reveal uneven activity and engagement, lack of common communication standards and common protocols for responding to information threats. The conclusions substantiate the need to develop a state policy on the use of messengers in public communication, the need to introduce crisis protocols, strengthen the verification of official channels, and clearly regulate interaction with digital platforms in a wartime.