Russia’s FSB has charged Telegram’s founder Pavel Durov with facilitating terrorism over allegations that the messenger app was used for recruitment by Ukrainian secret services.
The FSB said Telegram had been employed to plan and coordinate acts of sabotage and terror inside Russia, and that it failed to remove channels, chats and bots used by Ukraine.
An international arrest warrant has been issued for the Russian‑born Durov, who lives abroad.
Shortly after the charge was announced, Telegram’s account on X posted an image showing Durov holding up his middle finger, a response to accusations that Russian authorities are on a “new pretext” to restrict access to Telegram.
Telegram is popular in Russia, with tens of millions of users, and is a target of a wider crackdown on internet freedom. The app is also widely used in Ukraine.
Durov, 41, holds French and UAE passports and has lived outside Russia for many years after refusing to shut down opposition communities on the platform.
The platform has about 950 million users worldwide and positions itself as a privacy‑focused app, though it has faced criticism over moderation practices, which it denies are inadequate.
In 2024, Durov was arrested and investigated in France for alleged failure to moderate the app to reduce criminality. He was allowed to leave the country months later, but the investigation continues.
