Russian authorities have charged Telegram founder Pavel Durov with terrorism-related offences and issued an international arrest warrant, marking a significant escalation in the Kremlin’s long-running dispute with the messaging platform over content moderation.
Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) announced on Wednesday that the charges stem from Telegram’s alleged failure to remove content that authorities claim was used by Ukrainian intelligence services, as well as terrorist and extremist organisations. According to the FSB, the material was used to coordinate acts of sabotage, terrorist attacks, mass killings and cyber fraud operations inside Russia.
The FSB alleged that content circulated on the platform enabled the planning and coordination of activities that threatened Russia’s national security.
Shortly after the announcement, Telegram’s official account on X posted an image of Durov making an obscene gesture. Neither Durov nor Telegram immediately commented on 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 app has become a key channel for information sharing since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war and is widely used by civilians, government agencies and military-linked channels on both sides of the conflict.
Despite repeated efforts by Moscow to curb Telegram’s influence while promoting its state-backed MAX messaging service, the Kremlin, the Defence Ministry and other Russian state institutions continue to use the platform 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 selling his remaining stake in the company in 2014 following pressure from Russian authorities.
The latest charges come as Durov is also under investigation in France over allegations that Telegram failed to adequately combat criminal activity on the platform and did not sufficiently cooperate with law enforcement authorities. Durov has denied any wrongdoing.
Russian state media first reported in February that Durov was under investigation in connection with a terrorism-related case. In April, Durov disclosed that a legal summons addressed to “Suspect P.V. Durov” had been delivered to an apartment in Russia where he had lived about 20 years earlier.
Responding at the time, Durov said Russian authorities appeared to be targeting him for defending constitutional protections guaranteeing freedom of speech and the privacy of personal correspondence, adding that he was “proud to be guilty” of upholding those rights.
Durov’s exact location has not been officially disclosed. Recent updates on his Telegram channel indicated he was in Dubai in May, while a post shared on July 23 said he had enjoyed his visit to Georgia and expressed hope of returning in the future.
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