Russia's Federal Security Service charged Telegram co-founder and chief executive Pavel Durov with aiding terrorism on 29 July 2026, placing him on an international wanted list. The FSB alleged that Telegram's administration failed to remove 'channels, chats and bots' used by Ukrainian special services and by terrorist and extremist organisations to prepare and coordinate attacks in Russia, including acts of sabotage and terrorism, mass killings, and cyber-fraud operations. Durov was charged under Part 1.1 of Article 205.1 of the Russian criminal code, according to Interfax [Source: Bloomberg].
Minutes after the announcement, the FSB said 46 Russians had been detained after allegedly being recruited by Ukraine through a Telegram dating bot. Telegram's official account on X posted a photograph of Durov raising his middle finger following the charge announcement, and there was no immediate official comment from Durov or Telegram beyond that post.
Telegram, which Durov co-founded in 2013, says it has more than one billion users and has been widely used on both sides of the Russia-Ukraine war. Durov, who was born in Russia and now holds Emirati and French passports, previously founded Russia's social network VKontakte before selling his remaining stake in 2014. The company is privately held and based in Dubai.
The latest charges follow an escalating pattern of legal and regulatory pressure on both Durov and the platform. Russia began restricting Telegram in August 2025 and has fined the platform 100 million rubles — approximately $1.3 million — so far in 2026, mostly for failing to delete banned content, according to Interfax [Source: Bloomberg]. Durov himself wrote in late February 2026 that Russia had opened a criminal case against him for facilitating terrorism [Source: Meduza]. The FSB's international wanted list designation is separate from any Interpol notice, which would require a distinct request and Interpol's own review.
Durov has faced legal proceedings elsewhere as well. He was arrested in Paris in 2024 and subsequently indicted on charges including drug trafficking, organised fraud, and the distribution of child sexual abuse material on Telegram, before being released under judicial supervision on a €5 million bond. He said in March 2025 that he had returned to Dubai after spending several months in France.
The Russian action comes amid a broader clampdown on foreign digital platforms. Facebook, Instagram, and X have been banned in Russia; YouTube has been throttled; and Signal and Viber have been blocked, while WhatsApp and Telegram have been restricted. Russia actively promotes the state-backed messaging application MAX, which openly declares it will share user data with authorities upon request.
Sources: Bloomberg, BBC News, Sky News, Al Jazeera, Yahoo News, Jerusalem Post, CBS News, Meduza