Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov has been placed on Russia’s international wanted list after the country’s Federal Security Service (FSB) charged him with facilitating terrorist activities. According to Reuters, Russian authorities allege Telegram failed to remove content they claim was used by “Ukrainian special services and terrorist and extremist groups” to coordinate sabotage, terrorist attacks, mass killings and cyber fraud inside Russia.
Telegram, an encrypted messenger app founded in 2013, which has more than 1 billion users, and is widely used on both sides of the Russia-Ukraine war.
Following the announcement, Telegram’s official X account posted an image of Durov making an obscene gesture with his middle finger. However, neither Durov nor Telegram issued any further immediate comment.
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Why Has Russia Charged Pavel Durov?
Russia has repeatedly attempted to restrict Telegram’s use in recent years while promoting its state-backed MAX messaging service. Despite this, Russian state institutions, including the Kremlin and the Defence Ministry, continue to use Telegram daily for official communications, reported Reuters.
Durov, a tech founder born in Russia has lived outside Russia for years and holds French and UAE passports. He founded Russia’s Facebook equivalent, VKontakte, before selling his remaining stake in 2014 amid pressure from Russian authorities.
The Russian announcement follows a report published by a state-run newspaper in February stating that Durov was under investigation in a terrorism-related case.
He is facing investigation in France as well, with authorities investigating him over allegations that Telegram failed to adequately counter criminal activity on the platform and did not sufficiently cooperate with law enforcement requests. Meanwhile, Durov denies wrongdoing.
In April, Durov said on Telegram that a summons addressed to “Suspect P.V. Durov” had been delivered to an apartment in Russia where he had lived 20 years earlier. “They must be suspecting me of defending Articles 29 and 23 of the Russian Constitution, which guarantee freedom of speech and the right to private correspondence. Proud to be guilty!” he wrote at the time.
Durov’s current whereabouts were not clear. His most recent post on his Telegram channel suggested he was in Georgia. On July 23 he posted that he was “very impressed with Georgia” and hoped to be “back very soon”.
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