Telegram dismisses Russian claim that foreign spies can read soldiers' messages

MOSCOW, Feb 19 (Reuters) - Telegram says it has not found any breaches of its encryption, dismissing a Russian government allegation that foreign intelligence services can see messages sent by Russian soldiers via the messaging app.

Russia's state communications regulator has introduced restrictions on Telegram, an important platform for public and private communications in the country, over what it says is a failure by the company to delete extremist content.

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.

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.

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."

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.

(Reporting by Gleb Stolyarov; Editing by Mark Trevelyan and David Holmes)