Russia accused Telegram founder Pavel Durov of aiding terrorism

Russia’s main security service said on Wednesday it had charged the founder of Telegram, one of the country’s and the world’s most popular messaging apps, with aiding terrorism, escalating the Kremlin’s efforts to clamp down on all means of communication not under its direct control.

This was announced by the FSB security service declaration that it issued an international arrest warrant for Telegram founder Pavel Durov (41), who was born in Russia. The service accused Telegram of failing to remove information in Russia “actively used by Ukrainian special services, terrorist organizations, and extremist organizations to prepare and coordinate sabotage and terrorist acts, mass killings, and cyber fraud.”

This year, the Kremlin clamped down on the use of Telegram in Russia and promoted an alternative, MAX, a state-backed messaging app. The Kremlin has tried to restrict access to Telegram in the past using various methods. In 2018, the authorities first tried to block the app, but it remained widely used, eventually forcing the authorities to admit defeat two years later.

The announcement of the charges against Mr. Durov came a day after Dmitri S. Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, He told the Russian news agency Interfax that authorities have been in contact with Telegram management to discuss lifting restrictions on the app.

Some Kremlin analysts suggested that the timing of Mr. Peskov’s comments and the subsequent announcement of charges against Mr. Durov reflected an internal battle within the Russian government over whether to allow more freedom for the app or limit its use.

Ilya Grashchenkov, a political analyst based in Moscow, wrote on his Telegram channel: “For now, this does not look like the last chapter for Telegram in Russia, like another round of the ongoing battle for its control.

Despite restrictions imposed last year, Telegram is widely used in Russia through virtual private networks, or VPNs, not only for direct communication, but also by the media to transmit news and other information that the Kremlin does not approve. The service is also popular among the military on both sides of the Russian-Ukrainian war.

Telegram says it has more than a billion active users worldwide. In April, Mr. Durov said that despite the restrictions, 65 million Russians still use Telegram daily.

In its statement announcing the arrest warrant, the FSB cited a specific case in which it said a dating chat on Telegram was used by Ukrainian special services to recruit Russians and engage them in “sabotage and terrorist activities through deception and psychological manipulation.”

The FSB said it had detained 46 people, including minors, across Russia who were recruited through the app and “committed armed attacks on police officers, set fire to transport, energy, communication and credit and financial facilities”.

Mr. Durov, who also regularly criticizes Western and other governments for what he says are trying to limit Internet freedom, did not directly comment on the allegations. However, shortly after they were announced, the Telegram account on the social network X posted an old picture he raised his middle finger.

Mr. Durov holds Emirati and French citizenship and is a permanent resident of Dubai. Before founding Telegram, he founded Vkontakte, the Russian equivalent of Facebook. In early 2014, he completed a deal to sell his stake in Vkontakte, which then came under the control of a Kremlin-linked company.

In 2024, Mr. Durov was arrested upon arrival in France and later charged with facilitating criminal activity on Telegram. After being held in custody for four days, he was released and ordered by the authorities to remain in France. His travel ban was later lifted.

In a statement about the arrest in France at the time, Mr. Durov said: “Claims in some media that Telegram is some kind of anarchist paradise are absolutely false.”