On July 29, 2026, Russia's Federal Security Service charged Telegram founder Pavel Durov with aiding terrorism and placed him on an international wanted list. The agency accused Telegram of failing to block Ukrainian intelligence channels and dating bots used to recruit Russian youths for sabotage. Durov, who lives in Dubai and faces life in prison if convicted, previously faced similar legal pressure in France. The move escalates the Kremlin's campaign to restrict foreign platforms and push citizens toward state-controlled alternatives like the MAX messenger.
Durov terrorism charges
- ▪The Federal Security Service accused Telegram of failing to remove channels, chats, and bots used by Ukrainian intelligence to coordinate sabotage, terrorism, and cyberfraud
- ▪Russia's Federal Security Service charged Telegram founder Pavel Durov with aiding terrorism on July 29, 2026
- ▪Pavel Durov faces up to life in prison in Russia if convicted of the terrorism charges
- ▪The Federal Security Service alleged Ukrainian intelligence used the Telegram dating bot Leo to recruit 46 Russians aged 12 to 22 for attacks inside Russia
International wanted list
- ▪Pavel Durov, who lives in Dubai, holds citizenships in Russia, France, the United Arab Emirates, and Saint Kitts and Nevis
- ▪Russia's Federal Security Service placed Telegram founder Pavel Durov on an international wanted list on July 29, 2026
Kremlin internet control campaign
- ▪Russian authorities have banned social media platforms Facebook, Instagram, and X, throttled YouTube, and blocked messaging apps Signal and Viber
- ▪Russia's campaign to bring the internet under full Kremlin control has intensified since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022
Telegram restriction efforts
- ▪Russian authorities have restricted access to the popular messaging applications WhatsApp and Telegram
- ▪Russian military bloggers criticized the Telegram crackdown, calling the app an indispensable communications tool for Russian troops in Ukraine
Alternative messaging platform surveillance
- ▪Since 2025, smartphones sold in Russia have been legally required to come with the state-backed MAX messaging application preinstalled
- ▪Russia actively promotes a state-backed messaging app called MAX, which critics and experts say lacks end-to-end encryption and shares user data with authorities
Durov French criminal case
- ▪Pavel Durov was arrested in Paris in August 2024 over allegations that Telegram was used for drug trafficking and child sexual abuse material
- ▪Pavel Durov returned to Dubai in March 2025 after spending several months in France following his 2024 arrest
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