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

Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) has formally charged Telegram founder Pavel Durov with facilitating terrorist activities, announcing an international arrest warrant for him. The FSB claims the charges are linked to Telegram's alleged failure to remove material used by Ukrainian special services and various terrorist and extremist organizations.

According to the FSB, this material was purportedly used to prepare and coordinate acts of sabotage, terrorism, mass killings, and cyber-fraud operations within the Russian Federation. Telegram, an encrypted messaging app with over a billion users, is widely utilized by both sides of the Russia-Ukraine war. Russia has previously attempted to restrict Telegram's use, promoting its own state-backed messenger service.

There has been no immediate comment from Durov or Telegram regarding the charges. Durov, a Russian-born entrepreneur holding Emirati and French passports, previously founded VKontakte, Russia's equivalent of Facebook, before selling his stake in 2014 under pressure from Russian authorities. He is also currently facing scrutiny in France.

French authorities are investigating Durov over allegations that Telegram has not adequately countered criminal activity on its platform and has failed to cooperate sufficiently with law enforcement requests. Durov has consistently denied any wrongdoing in these matters.