Russia charges Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov with aiding terrorism

Key Points:

• Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) charged Pavel Durov, founder and CEO of Telegram, with aiding terrorism and placed him on an international wanted list, accusing Telegram of failing to remove channels used by Ukrainian intelligence and extremist groups for sabotage and terrorism.
• The charges come amid Russia’s intensified efforts to control the internet following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, including restrictions on Telegram, which remains popular despite previous blocking attempts and widespread censorship of other social media platforms.
• Russian authorities allege Ukrainian security services used a Telegram chatbot to recruit young Russians for illegal activities, resulting in multiple arrests, while Telegram and Durov, who lives in Dubai, have denied wrongdoing and condemned the restrictions as attacks on privacy and free speech.
• Durov was previously arrested in France in 2024 on allegations related to illicit activities on Telegram, but returned to Dubai in 2025; if convicted in Russia, he faces up to life imprisonment.
• Russia promotes its own national messaging app, MAX, which lacks end-to-end encryption and shares user data with authorities, while attempts to protest Telegram restrictions within Russia have been suppressed by the government.