Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) has charged Telegram founder Pavel Durov with aiding terrorism and placed him on an international wanted list, state news agencies RIA Novosti and TASS reported, citing the FSB's public relations center.
The criminal case, according to the FSB, stems from Telegram's failure to remove channels, chats and bots that the agency says Ukrainian special services use to coordinate terrorist attacks and sabotage in Russia. The FSB statement said these actions led to 'numerous human casualties,' including women and children, as well as 'multibillion-ruble material damage.'
As an example, the FSB cited a dating chatbot called 'Daivinchik.' According to the agency, Ukrainian intelligence officers posed as women on the service, befriended Russian men and recruited them to commit arson and sabotage. Since July 2025, 46 users of this service have been detained in 16 Russian regions, allegedly for attacking police officers and setting fire to facilities.
Durov said in late February 2026 that a criminal case on aiding terrorism had been opened against him in Russia, calling it politically motivated. 'Every day the authorities invent new pretexts to limit Russians' access to Telegram, seeking to suppress the right to privacy and freedom of speech. A sad sight of a state afraid of its own people,' he wrote at the time.
Russia began restricting Telegram in summer 2025. The messenger currently does not work without a VPN or other circumvention tools. On July 27, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said contacts with Telegram about restoring its operation in Russia exist, but the messenger's representatives 'are not very active.'