Russia charges Telegram founder Durov with aiding terrorism

Russian authorities have issued an international arrest warrant for Pavel Durov, the Russian-born founder and owner of the messaging platform Telegram, on charges of aiding and facilitating terrorism. Russia’s main domestic security agency, the FSB, alleges that the platform has failed to remove channels, chats, and bots used to coordinate cybercrime, sabotage, and attacks within Russia. Officials further claim that the app has been utilized by Ukrainian intelligence services and various groups labeled as extremist.

Telegram, which was founded in 2013 and reports a user base exceeding 1 billion, is widely utilized by both sides of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. Durov, who holds French and UAE citizenship and has resided outside of Russia for several years, has dismissed the case as politically motivated. The Kremlin frequently utilizes charges of terrorism and extremism to target political opponents, and this development marks a significant escalation in the pressure exerted by Moscow on the encrypted messaging service.