Russia’s main security agency, the Federal Security Service (FSS), has filed charges against Telegram founder Pavel Durov, accusing him of promoting terrorism and failing to curb extremist activity on the messaging platform.
Russian authorities have also placed Durov on an international wanted list.
According to the FSS, Telegram’s administration did not remove a number of channels, chats, and bots that were allegedly being used by Ukrainian intelligence agencies and extremist organizations to carry out sabotage, cyber fraud, and terrorist activities inside Russia.
Security officials said that despite repeated warnings, Telegram failed to take concrete action against the identified accounts and networks. The new criminal case has raised concerns that Russia could move toward a complete ban on Telegram services within the country.
Pavel Durov, who was born in Russia, obtained French citizenship in 2021. He is currently based in Dubai, from where he operates Telegram and its parent company.
Telegram remains one of the most widely used messaging apps in Russia. Although the Russian government has already imposed strict restrictions on the platform citing national security concerns, it continues to be used extensively by ordinary citizens, government officials, and military-linked personnel.
The latest action marks a significant escalation in Russia’s long-running dispute with Telegram over content moderation, security cooperation, and state control of digital communications.
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