Russia seeks international arrest of Telegram founder, citing 'complicity in terrorism'

Russia has escalated its digital crackdown by issuing an international wanted notice for Pavel Durov, the founder of the popular messaging app Telegram. The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) accused Durov of "complicity in terrorism," alleging that Telegram is being exploited by Ukrainian intelligence services for recruitment and to facilitate acts of sabotage against Russia.

According to the FSB, a specific Telegram bot, Leo Match, which has since been banned in Russia, was used by Ukrainian agents posing as young women. The service claims this bot was instrumental in contacting 46 Russian citizens, aged 12 to 22, who were subsequently detained for alleged attacks on security forces and infrastructure since July 2025.

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Telegram is used by Ukrainian security services for recruitment and to facilitate acts of sabotage.

Durov, who holds French and UAE passports and was previously prosecuted in France in 2024 for failing to act against criminal content on Telegram, has long championed online privacy. However, his refusal to moderate content on the platform has drawn criticism and action from Russian authorities.

This move by Russia follows a pattern of increasing digital restrictions, including past attempts to block Telegram in 2018. The FSB's announcement did not specify the nature of the international notice or whether other countries would honor it. Durov co-founded Telegram in 2013 and has been a vocal advocate for user privacy.

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46 citizens between the ages of 12 and 22 who used the Leo Match bot, banned in Russia, have been detained since July 2025 in different regions of the country for assaulting members of the security forces and committing acts against energy and transport infrastructure.