Conference Paper

Telegram as a Lifeline and a Battlefield: A Socio-Informatics Study of Communication and Resistance Among Ukrainians in War

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European Society for Socially Embedded Technologies (EUSSET)

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This paper explores how the messaging platform Telegram has become both a vital infrastructure of care and a contested battleground during the Russia’s war against Ukraine. Drawing on the socio-informatics tradition, we examine the platform’s role in mediating civic engagement, communication, and resilience among three key groups: Ukrainian military personnel, civilian volunteers, and the diaspora in Germany. Based on sixteen semi-structured interviews and ethnographic observations, study reveals the dual nature of Telegram as a tool for solidarity and survival, as well as a vector of disinformation, surveillance, and social division. While the platform facilitates real-time coordination, access to humanitarian aid, and psychological support, it also enables opaque moderation practices, emotional manipulation, and the reinforcement of exclusionary narratives. We argue that Telegram's affordances - such as anonymity, low moderation, and technical flexibility - make it indispensable in high-risk environments but simultaneously vulnerable to misuse. The findings highlight the complex entanglement of digital infrastructures with trust, power, and public discourse during wartime. By conceptualizing Telegram as an "infrastructure-in-action," we reveal the socio-technical dynamics of digital resilience and the precarious balance between care and control in decentralized communication ecologies

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Navumau, Vasil; Matveieva, Olga (2025): Telegram as a Lifeline and a Battlefield: A Socio-Informatics Study of Communication and Resistance Among Ukrainians in War. Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Communities & Technologies (C&T 2025). DOI: 10.48340/ct2025-1025. European Society for Socially Embedded Technologies (EUSSET). Posters and Demos. Siegen, Germany. 21–23 July, 2025

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War in Ukraine, Telegram, Human-Computer Interaction, Crisis Informatics

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Except where otherwised noted, this item's license is described as https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/