Russia charges Telegram founder Pavel Durov over alleged terror facilitation

Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has charged Telegram founder Pavel Durov with allegedly facilitating terrorist activities and

MOSCOW: Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has charged Telegram founder Pavel Durov with allegedly facilitating terrorist activities and issued an international arrest warrant for him.

The FSB announced the charges on Wednesday. It accused Telegram of failing to remove content that was allegedly used by Ukrainian intelligence-linked groups and terrorist and extremist organisations.

According to the Russian security agency, the material was allegedly used to prepare and coordinate acts of sabotage, terrorism, mass killings and cyber-fraud operations inside Russia.

The allegations have not been independently established, and Durov has not publicly responded to the charges.

Soon after the announcement, Telegram’s official account on X posted an image of Durov making an obscene gesture. The post did not include an explanation or detailed response to the Russian allegations.

Telegram is an encrypted messaging platform founded by Durov in 2013. The service has grown into one of the world’s largest messaging applications, with more than one billion users.

The platform is widely used in both Russia and Ukraine and has played a significant role in communication during the Russia-Ukraine war.

Russian authorities have repeatedly sought to restrict Telegram’s operations. The government has also promoted its own state-backed messaging service, MAX.

Despite previous attempts to limit Telegram, Russian state institutions continue to use the platform. The Kremlin and the Russian Defence Ministry remain active on Telegram and regularly publish official updates.

Durov was born in Russia but now holds French and Emirati citizenship. Before creating Telegram, he founded VKontakte, a major Russian social networking platform often described as the country’s equivalent of Facebook.

He sold his remaining stake in VKontakte in 2014 after facing increasing pressure from Russian authorities.

The latest Russian case comes as Durov is also facing legal scrutiny in France.

French authorities are investigating allegations that Telegram failed to adequately tackle criminal activity on its platform and did not sufficiently cooperate with law enforcement agencies.

Durov has denied wrongdoing in the French case.

Russia’s latest move was preceded by reports earlier this year that Durov was already being investigated in connection with a terrorism-related case.

In April, Durov said on Telegram that a summons addressed to “Suspect P.V. Durov” had been delivered to an apartment in Russia where he had lived about two decades ago.

He responded sarcastically at the time, suggesting that the authorities could be targeting him for defending constitutional protections related to freedom of speech and private correspondence.

Durov’s current location was not immediately confirmed.

A post on his Telegram channel in May indicated that he was in Dubai. On July 23, he said he had been impressed by Georgia and hoped to return there soon.