MOSCOW, Feb 18 - Foreign intelligence services are able to see messages sent by Russian soldiers using the Telegram messaging app, Russia's minister for digital development Maksud Shadayev said on Wednesday, the Interfax news agency reported.

Telegram, one of the most popular messenger services in Russia, is widely used by Russian forces fighting in Ukraine, but is under pressure from the authorities who have imposed restrictions on it over what they say is its failure to delete extremist content.