Moscow, July 29 (ANI): Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has charged Telegram co-founder Pavel Durov with facilitating terrorist activities and has initiated procedures to place him on the international wanted list, according to Russian state-run news agency TASS.
The FSB said Durov, who heads Telegram’s administration, has been charged under Part 1.1 of Article 205.1 of the Russian Criminal Code, which pertains to assisting terrorist activity.
“Telegram administration head Pavel Durov has been charged … with facilitating terrorist activities as part of a criminal case under investigation, and an international warrant for his arrest has been issued,” the FSB said, according to TASS.
According to TASS, attorney Vladimir Zherebenkov said Durov could also face arrest in absentia, describing it as a standard legal procedure required for extradition.
“This is a standard procedure required to extradite a person to Russia. A Russian court issues an arrest warrant in absentia, after which Russian law enforcement agencies begin seeking his extradition, including through Interpol. Durov will likely face the same,” Zherebenkov told TASS.
Citing a legal representative, Sputnik reported that the criminal charges against Telegram CEO Durov could carry a sentence of life imprisonment.
According to Sputnik, citing the FSB, Russian authorities accused Telegram of failing to remove channels, chats, and bots allegedly used by Ukrainian intelligence services to coordinate terrorist attacks and mass-casualty operations inside Russia.
The agency further alleged that these activities resulted in numerous deaths, including those of women and children, and caused billions of dollars in material damage.
Sputnik also reported the FSB’s allegation that Ukrainian operatives used Telegram’s dating service to pose as young women, befriend Russian men, and recruit them to carry out terrorist activities.
The agency further claimed that, since July 2025, Russian authorities have detained 46 young users of the dating service across 16 regions who were allegedly acting on instructions from Ukrainian intelligence to attack police officers and carry out arson attacks.
Earlier, the 41-year-old billionaire was charged by French prosecutors with offenses related to activity on Telegram, including the distribution of child sexual abuse material, fraud, and drug trafficking.
At the time, Durov said operating a global communications platform requires balancing privacy and security, adding that Telegram has been willing to face bans in countries such as Russia and Iran rather than comply with government demands that would compromise user privacy. (ANI)
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