Russia charges Telegram founder Durov with aiding terrorism, issues arrest warrant

The FSB accused Telegram's founder, Pavel Durov, 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, resulting in "numerous human casualties." If convicted, Durov could face up to life in prison in Russia.

Shortly after the charges were announced, Telegram's official account on X posted an image of Durov making an obscene gesture with his middle finger, in an apparent response to Moscow's move against him.

The FSB and the state Investigative Committee said a popular dating chatbot on Telegram called "Daivinchik/Leo," used in Russia where Tinder is unavailable, had been exploited by Ukrainian special services posing as young women to contact and entrap Russians before coercing them into committing crimes. The FSB said 46 Russians aged 12 to 22 had been arrested over the past year after being recruited this way to attack law enforcement officers or set fire to transport, energy, communications or financial infrastructure. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine.

An international arrest warrant has been issued for Durov, though it remains unclear whether other countries would comply with a warrant issued by Russia. Durov, 41, has lived outside Russia for years and holds French and UAE passports. He left Russia in 2014 after refusing to comply with government demands to shut down opposition communities on the platform, having previously founded VKontakte, the Russian social media company dubbed the "Facebook of Russia." Telegram is used by around 950 million people worldwide and has positioned itself as a privacy-focused app.

Durov was arrested in Paris in 2024 over allegations that Telegram was being used for illicit activity, including drug trafficking and the distribution of child sexual abuse images. He said in March 2025 that he had returned to Dubai after spending several months in France. Putin said at the time of the arrest that the French government's actions were "not entirely clear to me, as they are selective," adding that "all platforms of this kind" face similar issues.

A Russian government newspaper reported in February that Durov was under investigation in a terrorism-related case. In April, Durov wrote on Telegram, "They must be suspecting me of defending Articles 29 and 23 of the Russian Constitution — which guarantee freedom of speech and the right to private correspondence. Proud to be guilty!"