Russia Puts Telegram Founder Pavel Durov On International Wanted List

FSB Charges Durov With Facilitating Terrorism

Telegram and Toncoin co-founder Pavel Durov is now on an international wanted list after Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) charged him with facilitating terrorist activity. The FSB charged Durov with facilitating terrorist activity, accusing him of failing to remove channels and bots used to coordinate terrorist attacks and sabotage in Russia.

The FSB accused Telegram's administration of failing to remove "numerous channels, chats and bots" that are "actively used by Ukrainian intelligence agencies, terrorist, and extremist organizations to prepare and coordinate acts of sabotage and terrorism, mass murder, and cyberfraud" in Russia. According to the FSB's statement, Durov is under criminal investigation on a charge of facilitating terrorist activity under Part 1.1 of Article 205.1 of Russia's Criminal Code, and if convicted he could face up to life in prison.

The FSB alleged that Ukrainian special services used a Telegram bot called "Diver/Leo" to contact young people and incite them to illegal actions, with 46 people between the ages of 12 and 22 detained across various regions of Russia since July 2025.

Durov Denies Allegations, Accuses Russia of Pressure

Durov earlier this year announced that Russian authorities had opened a criminal investigation against him and accused them of fabricating pretexts to restrict access to Telegram as part of an attempt to "suppress the right to privacy and free speech."

The charges come as Russian authorities restrict Telegram, one of the most popular messaging apps in the country, as part of a long-term effort to bring the internet under the Kremlin's full control that has intensified since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Multiple popular social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram and X, have already been banned in Russia, while YouTube has been throttled and messaging apps such as Signal and Viber have been blocked.

Durov, who was born in Russia but has since built Telegram into one of the world's most widely used messaging platforms, co-founded Toncoin ($TON), a blockchain network originally developed in connection with Telegram. The latest legal escalation from Moscow adds fresh uncertainty around both the platform and its associated ecosystem.

Sources:
Meduza: Russia's FSB accuses Telegram founder Pavel Durov of aiding terrorism, issues international arrest warrant
Click Orlando (AP): Russia charges Telegram founder Pavel Durov with aiding terrorism and puts him on wanted list