Russia has charged Telegram founder Pavel Durov with supporting terrorism, accusing him of refusing to remove chats and automated bots that authorities claim were used by Ukrainian intelligence services and terrorist organisations to recruit people inside Russia.
The country's Federal Security Service, or FSB, announced the charges on Wednesday and said Durov had also been placed on an international wanted list.
Russian authorities intensified pressure on Telegram following years of tightening internet controls since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The messaging platform has remained one of the country's most widely used communication services despite restrictions imposed by the government, which has increasingly argued that encrypted online platforms pose national security risks.
Russia Says Pavel Durov Ignored Requests To Remove Recruitment Bots
According to the FSB, Telegram refused to shut down chats and automated bots that it alleged were being used by Ukrainian intelligence agencies and terrorist organisations to recruit Russians for acts of sabotage and terrorism.
As one example, the agency pointed to a Telegram-based dating chatbot popular among young users. The FSB alleged that Ukrainian intelligence services used the bot to recruit 46 Russians between the ages of 12 and 22 to commit offences it classified as terrorist acts.
The agency did not provide further evidence to support those allegations in its announcement.
Durov, who was born in Russia but has lived abroad for years, has previously rejected accusations that Telegram deliberately enables criminal activity. When reports first surfaced in February that Russian authorities were investigating him, he accused the government of manufacturing reasons to target the platform.
'Russian authorities are inventing new pretexts every day' to restrict access to Telegram because they want to curb Russians' rights to privacy and free speech, Durov wrote at the time.
His latest prosecution comes as Moscow continues to tighten control over the country's digital landscape. Since the start of the war in Ukraine, Russia has expanded internet censorship measures, while access to several foreign technology platforms has been restricted or blocked.
Voice calls through Telegram have long been unavailable in Russia, and authorities have recently slowed access to the messaging service. Even so, the platform continues to play a significant role in public communication, with Russian government agencies themselves maintaining official Telegram channels.
Telegram Founder's Mounting Legal Pressure
The case also adds to a growing list of legal challenges facing Durov and Telegram internationally.
The platform, which is estimated to have more than one billion users worldwide, has repeatedly faced criticism from governments over claims that extremists, organised criminals and other bad actors exploit its encrypted communications.
At the same time, Telegram has argued that it seeks to balance user privacy with efforts to remove illegal content, placing it at the centre of an increasingly contentious debate over how technology companies should police online communications.
Russia is not the only country to scrutinise the platform. Durov was arrested in France in 2024 over allegations that Telegram failed to prevent criminal abuse of its services. He was later released on bail, and those legal proceedings remain ongoing.
The allegations against Telegram also reflect the complex role the platform has assumed during the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. While Russian authorities now accuse Ukrainian intelligence services of exploiting Telegram to recruit operatives inside Russia, Ukrainian officials have previously alleged that Russia has also used the platform to recruit Ukrainians for sabotage missions.
At this stage, the FSB's allegations against Durov remain accusations made by Russian authorities. The agency announced the charges and the international wanted notice, but no court has determined his guilt, and the claims should therefore be treated as allegations pending any legal proceedings.
