Russia has charged Telegram founder Pavel Durov with facilitating terrorism, accusing the messaging platform of being used by Ukrainian intelligence agencies to recruit operatives and coordinate sabotage attacks inside Russia.
The country’s Federal Security Service (FSB) announced the charges on Tuesday, alleging that Telegram failed to remove channels, chat groups and automated bots allegedly used by Ukraine to plan and coordinate acts of terrorism and sabotage.
Authorities have also issued an international arrest warrant for Durov, the Russian-born tech billionaire who has lived outside Russia for more than a decade.
Moments after the charges were announced, Telegram’s official X account posted an image of Durov raising his middle finger, an apparent response to the allegations. Durov has previously accused Russian authorities of “fabricating new pretexts to restrict Russians’ access to Telegram.”
Telegram remains one of Russia’s most widely used messaging platforms, with tens of millions of users despite increasing government restrictions as Moscow tightens control over internet freedom. The app is also extensively used in Ukraine.
Durov, 41, left Russia in 2014 after refusing government demands to shut down opposition groups on the platform. He later acquired French and United Arab Emirates citizenship and currently resides abroad.
It remains uncertain whether other countries will honour the arrest warrant issued by Russian authorities.
Before launching Telegram, Durov founded VKontakte (VK), Russia’s largest social networking site, often described as the country’s equivalent of Facebook.
Telegram now has about 950 million users worldwide and has built its reputation on strong privacy protections and encrypted communications, distinguishing itself from many other major social media platforms.
However, the company has repeatedly faced criticism over its content moderation policies, with critics arguing that criminal and extremist groups have exploited the platform. Telegram has consistently denied claims that it fails to adequately moderate illegal content.
In 2024, Durov was arrested in France and placed under formal investigation over allegations that Telegram had not done enough to curb criminal activity on the platform. He was later allowed to leave the country while French authorities continued their investigation.
The latest charges by Russia add another legal challenge for the billionaire entrepreneur, whose platform has increasingly found itself at the centre of disputes between governments over security, privacy and freedom of expression.
