Russia Charges Telegram Founder Pavel Durov With Aiding Terrorism, Places Him on International Wanted List

Russia has formally charged Telegram founder Pavel Durov with facilitating terrorist activities and placed him on an international wanted list, escalating its long-running confrontation with the encrypted messaging platform. The charges were announced by Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB).

According to the FSB, Durov failed to remove Telegram channels, chats, and bots that Russian authorities claim were being used by Ukrainian special services, terrorist organizations, and extremist groups to coordinate sabotage, terrorist attacks, cyber fraud, and other criminal activities inside Russia.

Russian authorities have also issued an international arrest warrant for Durov. The Telegram founder, who holds French and Emirati citizenship in addition to his Russian origins, is currently in France. Neither Durov nor Telegram has publicly responded to the latest charges.

The case comes amid increasing tensions between Moscow and Telegram. Russia has repeatedly accused the platform of refusing to cooperate with law enforcement and has promoted the state-backed messaging app MAX as an alternative. Telegram, however, remains one of the most widely used messaging platforms in both Russia and Ukraine, particularly since the start of the war.

The move is also likely to add to Durov's legal challenges in Europe, where he has previously faced scrutiny from French authorities over Telegram's moderation policies and cooperation with law enforcement.

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