Russian authorities on Wednesday charged Pavel Durov, the founder and chief executive of Telegram, with aiding terrorism and added his name to international wanted lists.
The move marks the latest and most serious escalation in Moscow’s campaign to rein in online platforms since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Durov, a Russian-born billionaire who lives abroad, was accused as part of a broader push by the Kremlin to bring the internet and digital communications under tighter state control.
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🇷🇺 Russia just put the Telegram founder on an international most-wanted list.
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) July 29, 2026
The FSB charged Pavel Durov with aiding terrorism and issued a warrant for his arrest, accusing him of letting Ukrainian intelligence use the app to coordinate attacks inside Russia.
Durov, who lives… pic.twitter.com/w0jGhaxTFh
A grave accusation takes centre stage
In its statement, the FSB said Telegram had failed to remove “numerous channels, chats and bots” that it said were used by “Ukrainian intelligence agencies, terrorist and extremist organizations to prepare and coordinate acts of sabotage and terrorism, mass murder, and cyber fraud” in Russia.
The agency also alleged that Ukrainian security services used a dating chatbot on Telegram to recruit Russians for “sabotage and terrorist activities,” and said 46 users of the chatbot, aged 12 to 22, had been detained over the past year on suspicion of assaulting law enforcement officers, arson and other acts.
The FSB said Durov could face life in prison if convicted.
Russia’s FSB has charged Telegram founder Pavel Durov with “aiding terrorist activity” and said he will be placed on an international wanted list. The St Petersburg native has been based in Dubai since 2017.
— Brian McDonald (@BrianMcDonaldIE) July 29, 2026
The security service accused Telegram of failing to remove channels,… pic.twitter.com/Wf6Hx3szFr
The man behind the messaging empire
Durov has previously pushed back against Russian pressure on the platform. Earlier this year, he said Russian authorities had opened a criminal investigation against him and accused them of fabricating pretexts to restrict access to Telegram and “suppress the right to privacy and free speech.”
The company’s website says it is based in Dubai, where Durov lives. He holds French and United Arab Emirates citizenship.
Telegram, which says it has more than 1 billion users worldwide, is one of the most widely used messaging services in Russia.
The Never Ending War Between Russian Governments and Pavel Durov:
— Param (@Param_eth) July 29, 2026
– Pavel Durov builds VK into Russia's largest social network
2011:
– the Russian government asks VK to remove opposition groups during mass protests
– Durov refuses
– instead of complying, he publicly mocks… pic.twitter.com/QIP04OGU2p
The contest for the digital realm
The case lands against the backdrop of years of Russian attempts to limit access to platforms it does not control.
Under President Vladimir Putin, authorities have banned or throttled several major services, blocked some messaging apps, and restricted both WhatsApp and Telegram.
Russia tried to block Telegram between 2018 and 2020 but failed and has since promoted a state-backed alternative messaging app, Max, which critics say could be used for surveillance.
Durov’s latest legal trouble follows his 2024 arrest in France, when he was detained amid allegations that Telegram was being used for illicit activity, including drug trafficking and child sexual abuse material.
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FAQs
Q1: Why has Russia charged Telegram founder Pavel Durov?
Russian authorities allege Durov failed to remove Telegram channels, chats and bots that were used to facilitate terrorism and sabotage.
Q2: Where is Pavel Durov now?
Pavel Durov lives in Dubai and, according to Russian authorities, has been placed on international wanted lists.
