Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) has charged Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of Telegram, with aiding terrorism, marking the latest escalation in the Kremlin's crackdown on online communications. The 41-year-old Russian-born billionaire, who lives in Dubai, now faces an international wanted list.
FSB accuses Telegram of enabling sabotage and terrorism
In a statement on Wednesday, the FSB accused Telegram of failing to remove channels, chats, and bots allegedly used by Ukrainian intelligence and terrorist groups to coordinate sabotage, terrorism, mass murder, and cyber fraud. The agency claimed Kyiv used a dating chatbot to recruit Russians for sabotage, detaining 46 users aged 12 to 22 over the past year for attacks on law enforcement and arson.
Durov earlier this year said Russian officials had opened a criminal investigation against him, accusing them of fabricating pretexts to restrict Telegram and suppress privacy and free speech. If convicted, he could face life in prison. Telegram, with over 1 billion users, did not comment; its X account posted an image of Durov raising his middle finger.
Russia's broader online crackdown
Under Vladimir Putin, Russia has banned Facebook, Instagram, and X, throttled YouTube, and blocked Signal and Viber; WhatsApp and Telegram remain restricted. Durov's earlier platform VKontakte is now Kremlin-friendly. Russia tried to block Telegram from 2018 to 2020 but failed. VPNs are increasingly blocked, and Moscow promotes the Max messaging app, which shares user data with authorities and lacks end-to-end encryption.
Activists have failed to organize protests against Telegram restrictions, and military bloggers denounce the crackdown, calling Telegram vital for Russian troops in Ukraine and crowdfunding. The government initially promised not to restrict it on the battlefield, but at a Women's Day meeting, a servicewoman called Telegram an adversarial tool, and Putin agreed that unsecure systems pose a danger.
Durov's legal troubles and Telegram's role
Despite restrictions, many Russian officials use Telegram. Durov was arrested in Paris in 2024 on allegations of illicit activity on the platform, including drug trafficking and child sexual abuse images. He was given preliminary charges and returned to Dubai after months in France. The Kremlin criticized French authorities; Putin's spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said terrorists also use cars, asking why Renault's CEO wasn't arrested. Peskov did not comment on Russia's changed position.
Paris prosecutors said Durov remains under formal investigation. Russia has been accused of using Telegram to coordinate sabotage in Ukraine and Europe. A British man was recruited on Telegram to set fire to a London warehouse containing satellite equipment for Ukraine and to kidnap a pro-Ukraine Russian billionaire. Dutch teenagers were contacted by Russian hackers to map wifi networks in The Hague, home to the International Criminal Court and other sensitive organizations. Moscow denies involvement in European sabotage.
