Russian authorities have formally charged Telegram founder Pavel Durov with terrorism related offences and issued an international arrest warrant, escalating the Kremlin’s long running confrontation with the messaging platform over content moderation and national security concerns.
According to Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), the charges relate to Telegram’s alleged failure to remove content that authorities claim was used by Ukrainian intelligence services, as well as organisations designated by Russia as terrorist and extremist groups. The FSB alleged that the platform facilitated the coordination of sabotage, terrorist attacks, mass killings and cyber fraud operations inside Russia.
Russian authorities said the content circulated through Telegram posed a threat to national security by enabling the planning and organisation of criminal activities.
Shortly after the announcement, Telegram’s official account on X posted an image of Durov making an obscene gesture. Neither Durov nor Telegram immediately issued a formal response to the charges or the international arrest warrant.
Founded in 2013, Telegram has grown into one of the world’s largest encrypted messaging platforms, with more than one billion users. The application has played a significant role during the Russia Ukraine war, serving as a major communication channel for civilians, government agencies and military affiliated groups on both sides of the conflict.
Despite repeated efforts by Moscow to reduce Telegram’s influence while promoting the state backed MAX messaging service, Russian government institutions, including the Kremlin and the Defence Ministry, continue to use Telegram for official communications.
Durov, who was born in Russia and later became a citizen of the United Arab Emirates and France, founded the Russian social media platform VKontakte before leaving the country in 2014 after selling his remaining stake following pressure from Russian authorities.
The latest case comes as Durov also remains under investigation in France over allegations that Telegram failed to adequately combat criminal activity on its platform and did not sufficiently cooperate with law enforcement agencies. He has denied any wrongdoing.
Russian media first reported in February that Durov was under investigation in connection with a terrorism related case. In April, Durov revealed that a legal summons addressed to him had been delivered to an apartment in Russia where he had lived approximately two decades earlier.
Responding at the time, Durov said Russian authorities appeared to be targeting him for defending constitutional protections covering freedom of speech and the privacy of personal correspondence, saying he was “proud to be guilty” of upholding those principles.
Recent updates on Durov’s Telegram channel suggested he was in Dubai in May and later visited Georgia, where he expressed hope of returning in the future.
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