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Russia issues international arrest warrant for Telegram founder Durov over alleged terror links

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Official statement New plan
  • Russia's Federal Security Service has accused Telegram founder Pavel Durov of aiding terrorist activities and issued an international arrest warrant.
  • The accusation stems from Telegram's alleged failure to remove materials used by Ukrainian special services and extremist groups for disruptive and terrorist actions within Russia.
  • Durov, who holds UAE and French passports, has not commented, while French authorities are also investigating him for alleged failure to combat criminal activity on the platform.

Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) has issued an international arrest warrant for Telegram founder Pavel Durov, accusing him of enabling terrorist activities. The FSB claims Durov's messaging app has failed to remove content used by Ukrainian special services and extremist groups to plan and coordinate sabotage, terrorism, and cyber fraud within Russia.

Durov, who co-founded Telegram in 2013 and now claims over a billion users, has not yet responded to the allegations. This move by Russia follows previous attempts to restrict Telegram's use within the country, alongside efforts to promote its state-backed MAX messaging service. Durov, originally from Russia, now holds passports from the United Arab Emirates and France.

Adding to Durov's legal challenges, French authorities are also investigating him. They accuse Telegram of not effectively combating criminal activities on its platform and failing to cooperate sufficiently with law enforcement. Durov has denied any wrongdoing in relation to these separate accusations.

DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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