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| Telegram founder Pavel Durov is facing terrorism-related charges in Russia, where authorities have issued an international arrest warrant over alleged failures to remove prohibited content. |
Russia Charges Telegram Founder Pavel Durov With Terrorism-Related Offenses
MOSCOW — July 29, 2026
Russia has charged Telegram founder Pavel Durov with facilitating terrorist activities and issued an international arrest warrant, marking a major escalation in the country's long-running dispute with the messaging platform.
Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said the charges stem from Telegram's alleged failure to remove content that authorities claim was used by Ukrainian intelligence agencies, as well as terrorist and extremist groups, to organize sabotage, terrorist attacks, mass killings, and cyber fraud inside Russia.
The agency announced the charges on Wednesday but did not provide additional details about the legal case or evidence supporting the allegations.
Shortly after the announcement, Telegram's official account on X posted an image of Durov making an obscene gesture. Neither Durov nor the company issued a formal statement addressing the charges.
Telegram, founded in 2013, has grown into one of the world's largest encrypted messaging platforms with more than one billion users. The app has been widely used by individuals, governments, journalists, and military-linked channels throughout the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Russia has repeatedly attempted to limit Telegram's influence while promoting its own state-backed messaging platform, MAX. Despite those efforts, Russian government institutions, including the Kremlin and the Defense Ministry, continue to use Telegram regularly for official communications.
Durov, who was born in Russia and now holds French and Emirati citizenship, previously founded the Russian social media network VKontakte. He sold his remaining stake in the company in 2014 after facing pressure from Russian authorities.
The new case in Russia comes as Durov is also under investigation in France. French authorities are examining allegations that Telegram failed to adequately address criminal activity on its platform and did not cooperate sufficiently with law enforcement requests. Durov has denied any wrongdoing.
Earlier this year, Russian state media reported that Durov was under investigation in a terrorism-related case. In April, he said a legal summons had been delivered to an apartment in Russia where he had lived about two decades earlier.
At the time, Durov said he believed the case was linked to his support for constitutional protections covering freedom of speech and the privacy of personal communications.
His current location has not been officially confirmed. Recent posts on his Telegram channel suggested he had been in Dubai before later visiting Georgia.
The latest charges add to growing legal pressure on the technology entrepreneur as authorities in multiple countries continue examining Telegram's role in policing content shared on its platform.
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