Russia has charged Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov with aiding terrorism and placed him on an international wanted list, escalating the Kremlin’s pressure on one of the world’s largest messaging platforms.
Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) says Telegram failed to remove channels, chats and bots allegedly used by Ukrainian intelligence services and extremist groups to coordinate sabotage, terrorist attacks and cyber fraud inside Russia.
The pressure intensified a day later when Russian financial watchdog Rosfinmonitoring added Durov to its official list of “terrorists and extremists.” The designation can bring serious restrictions on financial activity inside Russia.
Durov, who was born in Russia but lives abroad, has had a complicated relationship with Moscow for years. Russia previously tried to block Telegram after the company resisted demands from security services, although the ban was eventually lifted in 2020.
The latest case comes as the Kremlin tightens control over online communications following the invasion of Ukraine, putting additional pressure on platforms that remain widely used for independent information and private communication.
