Many Ukrainians are relying on the Telegram app during war.

When Russia invaded Ukraine, Nina Koreiko downloaded Telegram to find drivers who could get her mother, her uncle and a friend from Kharkiv, a major city in eastern Ukraine, to Vienna, where Ms. Koreiko lives.

Ms. Koreiko, 40, and her mother, 67, joined several public Telegram groups that were helping connect refugees with drivers, and posted their request. Then, Ms. Koreiko said, “I had to sit there constantly, monitoring different announcements.”

Now safe in Vienna, Ms. Koreiko’s mother has joined local Telegram groups for Ukrainians and refugees. “Many people are posting, ‘Here’s where you can get humanitarian help, here are stores where you can get discounts on food products,’” Ms. Koreiko said.

Downloads of Telegram in Ukraine from the beginning of the war to early April were up by about 70 percent compared to the same period last year, according to Sensor Tower, an analytics firm. Read more

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