TELEGRAM AS A TOOL FOR SEARCHING AND COLLECTING INFORMATION FOR THE SECURITY AND DEFENSE SECTOR OF UKRAINE: FUNCTIONAL CAPABILITIES, RISKS AND DIRECTIONS OF LEGAL RESPONSE

Abstract

through official chatbots; monitoring of air and missile threats in real time; organization of humanitarian search and coordination of volunteer logistics; implementation of analytical OSINT practices and dissemination of verified information. It has been proven that the use of these tools contributes to increasing the efficiency of management decisions and strengthening interaction between the state and society. At the same time, the transformation of Telegram into an environment for the implementation of illegal activities, which gained particular development in 2024–2026, has been analyzed. It has been established that the platform is used to recruit so-called "disposable agents" according to the "gig-economy sabotage" model, which involves the performance of individual criminal tasks (sabotage, arson, collection of intelligence information, preparation of terrorist acts) for a reward. The main mechanisms of such activity are revealed, in particular the use of anonymous channels, automated bots, encryption tools and cryptocurrency calculations, which complicates their detection and documentation.


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