Russia charges Telegram founder Durov with facilitating terrorism
The FSB claims the messenger app, created by Pavel Durov, has failed to remove accounts and channels used for recruitment by Ukraine's secret service.
Pavel Durov, the creator of Telegram, has been accused by Russia of enabling terrorism. This accusation stems from allegations that Ukrainian secret services have utilized the messaging application for recruitment purposes.
According to the FSB, Russia's internal security agency, Telegram was employed "to prepare and co-ordinate acts of sabotage and terror" within Russia. The agency further stated that Telegram failed to eliminate channels, chats, and bots used by Ukraine.
Durov, who was born in Russia but resides abroad, is now subject to an international arrest warrant.
Following the announcement of the charge, Telegram's X (formerly Twitter) account shared an image depicting Durov raising his middle finger. He has previously accused Russian authorities of "fabricating new pretexts to restrict Russians' access to Telegram."
Telegram enjoys widespread popularity in Russia, with tens of millions of users. However, authorities have been limiting access as part of a broader effort to curb internet freedom.
Durov has resided outside of Russia for many years and possesses both French and United Arab Emirates (UAE) passports.
It remains uncertain whether other nations or authorities would honor an arrest warrant issued by Russia.