NewzThe case against Pavel Durov reflected an ongoing fight over one of the world’s most popular messaging and media apps, which is widely used in the country. Soon after the charges were announced, Telegram's official account on X posted an image of Durov making an obscene gesture. Russia charged Pavel Durov, the founder, owner and CEO of the messaging app Telegram, with aiding terrorism and put him on an international wanted list, the country’s main domestic security agency said Wednesday.The charges against Durov, who was born and began his career in Russia but later moved abroad, came as Russian authorities restrict Telegram, one of the most popular messaging apps in the country.
It is part of a long-term effort to bring the internet under the Kremlin’s control that has intensified since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.The Federal Security Service, also known as the FSB, accused Telegram’s administration in a statement of failing to remove “numerous channels, chats and bots” allegedly used by "Ukrainian intelligence agencies, terrorist and extremist organizations to prepare and coordinate acts of sabotage and terrorism, mass murder, and cyberfraud" in Russia, which resulted in “numerous human casualties.”The agency accused Ukrainian security services of using a popular dating chatbot on Telegram to lure and recruit Russians for “sabotage and terrorist activities,” and said 46 users of the chatbot, from 12 to 22 years old, have been detained across Russia since July 2025 for assaulting law enforcement officers, arson and other acts.Durov earlier this year announced that Russian authorities opened a criminal investigation against him and accused them of fabricating pretexts to restrict access to Telegram as part of an attempt to “suppress the right to privacy and free speech.”If convicted, the entrepreneur could face up to life in prison in Russia.Telegram did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Its official website says that the company is based in Dubai and that Durov, who holds dual citizenship of France and the United Arab Emirates, lives there, too.Russia restricted Telegram as part of unrelenting internet censorshipUnder President Vladimir Putin, Russian authorities have engaged in multipronged efforts to rein in the internet. They have adopted restrictive laws and banned websites and platforms that don’t comply and focused on improving technology to monitor and manipulate online traffic.Multiple popular social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram and X, have been banned in Russia; YouTube has been throttled; popular messaging apps, such as Signal and Viber, have been bl…
Pavel Durov, the founder and chief executive of the encrypted messaging app Telegram, has been charged with aiding terrorism by Russia's security agency. Russia's FSB says Telegram has not pulled content used by Ukrainian intelligence and 'terrorist' groups to plan attacks. Moscow – Russia announced on Wednesday that it was seeking the arrest of Telegram founder Pavel Durov over accusations of “complicity in terrorism”, alleging he had let the platform be used for recruitment by Ukraine’s security services.
Russian-born Durov — a serial tech founder who has lived outside Russia for years and holds French and United Arab Emirates passports — has frequently clashed with the Russian authorities as Moscow has tightened its grip on the internet. His Telegram messenger is one of the country’s main communications platforms and officials have repeatedly tried to block access or thwart its success in a bid to pressure Durov to hand over user data or push Russians to use an unencrypted state-backed alternative. The FSB security service said it had launched international search proceedings for Durov, who is also Telegram’s CEO.
“An international wanted notice has been issued… for the head of the Telegram administration, P. It was unclear what kind of wanted notice Russia had issued and whether other countries or law enforcement bodies would accept or comply with it. – Social media war – Moscow frequently targets political enemies on charges of supporting “terrorism” or “extremism”, including those who have left the country.
The FSB alleged Telegram had been used as a recruitment platform for Ukrainian security services looking to coerce Russians to commit sabotage acts and that Durov had not removed “prohibited information”. Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of using social media to recruit people to support them in the four-and-a-half-year war. Durov, 41, lives in France, where he has also faced legal issues over allegations concerning the spread of illegal content on Telegram.
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