Russia Charges Telegram's Durov
PHOTO CAPTION: FILE PHOTO: Founder and CEO of Telegram Pavel Durov delivers a keynote speech during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain February 23, 2016. REUTERS/Albert Gea/File Photo
MOSCOW, July 29 — Russia charged Telegram founder Pavel Durov with facilitating terrorist activity on Wednesday, alleging that Ukrainian intelligence services used the messaging platform to organize attacks inside Russia.
Telegram’s official account on X responded by posting an image of the Russian-born billionaire making an obscene gesture with his middle finger.
The Federal Security Service, known as the FSB, announced the charges following a long-running investigation into Durov and Telegram.
Durov is based in Dubai.
Russia has effectively restricted access to Telegram as part of a broader campaign to limit foreign technology platforms and tighten government control over the internet.
Russians can now access the service only through a virtual private network, or VPN, which encrypts internet traffic and conceals a user’s location.
Despite the restrictions, Russian state institutions, including the Kremlin and Defense Ministry, continue to post on Telegram daily.
The app has been described as a virtual battlefield in the Russia-Ukraine war, with government officials, soldiers and influential bloggers from both sides using it.
The FSB and Russia’s Investigative Committee said a Telegram dating chatbot called Daivinchik/Leo had been used by Ukrainian intelligence services to recruit young Russians for sabotage and what authorities described as terrorist operations.
Daivinchik/Leo is popular in Russia, where Tinder is no longer available.
Russian authorities alleged that Ukrainian operatives posing as young women used the chatbot to contact and entrap Russians before coercing them into committing crimes.
The FSB said 46 Russians between the ages of 12 and 22 had been arrested over the past year after being recruited through the scheme.
Authorities said those arrested had been recruited to attack law enforcement officers or set fire to transportation, energy, communications and financial infrastructure.
Ukraine did not immediately comment on the allegations.
The FSB said Durov would be placed on an international wanted list but did not explain what mechanism Russia would use.
Interpol did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A source familiar with the situation said that any Russian request for an Interpol Red Notice would be unlikely to move quickly.
Dubai, where Durov lives, has friendly relations with Moscow and expanding ties with Russia in energy, finance and business.
However, handing Durov over to Russia could damage Dubai’s reputation as an attractive center for technology and enterprise.
Durov said last week that he was in Georgia, but his current location is unclear.
Born in Russia, Durov now holds passports from the United Arab Emirates and France.
He founded VKontakte, Russia’s equivalent of Facebook, before selling his remaining stake in the company in 2014 amid pressure from Russian authorities.
French authorities arrested Durov in 2024 over allegations that Telegram had failed to adequately combat criminal activity on its platform and had not sufficiently cooperated with law enforcement requests.
He was later allowed to leave France while the investigations continued.
Durov denies wrongdoing and says Telegram has exceeded its legal obligations to moderate content and assist authorities investigating crime.
A Russian government newspaper reported in February that Durov was under investigation in a terrorism-related case.
In April, Durov said a summons addressed to “Suspect P.V. Durov” had been delivered to an apartment in Russia where he lived 20 years earlier.
He suggested authorities suspected him of defending provisions in Russia’s constitution that protect freedom of speech and private correspondence, adding: “Proud to be guilty!”
(Source: Reuters)
