Russia charges Telegram founder Pavel Durov with ‘aiding terrorism’

Russian security authorities have escalated their confrontation with encrypted messaging platform Telegram by formally charging its cofounder Pavel Durov with facilitating terrorism. The FSB announced the charges on Wednesday, asserting that Telegram maintained channels, chats, and automated systems used by Ukrainian intelligence services and designated terrorist organizations to plan and execute attacks within Russian territory, including sabotage operations, mass casualty incidents, and cyber-fraud schemes.

Durov, born in Russia but now holding citizenship from the United Arab Emirates and France, cofounded Telegram in 2013 following his earlier creation of VKontakte, Russia's equivalent to Facebook. He divested his remaining stake in VKontakte in 2014 under pressure from Russian authorities. Durov has previously alleged that Russian officials coerced him to provide access to accounts of Ukrainian pro-democracy activists in 2014, a demand he claims to have refused.

The charges represent part of a broader Russian strategy to restrict independent messaging and social media platforms while promoting state-controlled alternatives. Moscow has blocked Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram while restricting YouTube access. The government is simultaneously promoting MAX, a state-backed messenger service that explicitly shares user data with authorities upon request and lacks end-to-end encryption protections.

Durov has maintained that Russian authorities fabricated pretexts to suppress Telegram access as part of efforts to restrict privacy rights and free expression. Beyond Russia, Durov faces legal investigation in France regarding allegations that Telegram inadequately addressed criminal activity on its platform and failed to sufficiently cooperate with law enforcement requests. Durov denies these allegations. Telegram's official social media account responded to the Russian charges with a photograph of Durov making a defiant gesture.