DistantNews
Support us
🇶🇦 Qatar /Conflict & Security

Russia charges Telegram founder Pavel Durov with ‘aiding terrorism’

From Al Jazeera · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • Russia's FSB has charged Telegram co-founder Pavel Durov with "aiding terrorism."
  • The agency claims Telegram channels were used by Ukrainian intelligence and terrorist groups to plan attacks in Russia.
  • An international arrest warrant has been issued for Durov, who faces separate legal probes in France.

Russian authorities have charged Pavel Durov, the co-founder of the encrypted messaging app Telegram, with "aiding terrorism" and issued an international arrest warrant for him. Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) announced the charge on Wednesday, alleging that Telegram failed to remove content from channels, chats, and bots used by "Ukrainian special services and by terrorist and extremist organisations" to plan and coordinate attacks within Russia.

The FSB stated that these attacks included acts of "sabotage and terrorism, mass killings, and cyber-fraud operations." While Durov and Telegram have not officially commented, Telegram's official X account posted a photograph of Durov giving the middle finger shortly after the charges were announced.

channels, chats and bots

— FSBThe Russian security agency's description of content on Telegram it claims is used by Ukrainian intelligence and terrorist groups.

This development occurs as Russia intensifies its efforts to control online communication, restricting the use of popular apps like Telegram and WhatsApp while promoting its state-backed MAX messenger. Experts note that MAX lacks end-to-end encryption and readily shares user data with authorities, contrasting with Telegram's privacy focus.

Ukrainian special services and by terrorist and extremist organisations

— FSBThe FSB's designation of the entities allegedly using Telegram for planning attacks.

Durov, a Russian-born entrepreneur with Emirati and French passports, co-founded Telegram in 2013. He previously founded Russia's social media platform VKontakte before selling his stake in 2014 amid alleged pressure from Russian authorities to grant access to data of Ukrainian activists. Earlier this year, Durov accused Russian authorities of fabricating pretexts to restrict Telegram access and suppress privacy and free speech.

In addition to the Russian charges, Durov is under investigation in France for allegedly failing to adequately combat criminal activity on Telegram and cooperate with law enforcement. Durov denies all allegations, maintaining Telegram's stance as a private, censorship-free platform, though some experts have cautioned that this approach has made it a hub for illicit activities.

sabotage and terrorism, mass killings, and cyber-fraud operations

— FSBThe types of attacks the FSB claims were planned and coordinated via Telegram.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Al Jazeera. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog