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

Abstract

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