29 July,2026 02:02 PM IST | Moscow | mid-day online correspondent
Telegram co-founder Pavel Durov. FILE PIC
Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) has charged Telegram co-founder Pavel Durov with facilitating terrorist activities and initiated proceedings to place him on the international wanted list, news agency ANI reported, citing Russian state-run news agency TASS.
The FSB said Durov, who heads Telegram's administration, has been charged under Part 1.1 of Article 205.1 of the Russian Criminal Code, which relates to assistance to terrorist activity.
"Telegram administration head Pavel Durov has been charged... (with facilitating terrorist activities) as part of a criminal case under investigation, and an international warrant for his arrest has been issued," the FSB said, according to TASS.
The news agency, quoting lawyer Vladimir Zherebenkov, reported that Durov could also face arrest in absentia, describing it as a standard legal procedure required for extradition.
"This is a standard procedure required to extradite a person to Russia. A Russian court issues an arrest warrant in absentia, after which Russian law enforcement agencies begin seeking his extradition, including through Interpol. Durov will likely face the same," Zherebenkov told TASS.
It further reported that the arrest-in-absentia procedure would enable Russian authorities to formally pursue Durov's extradition through international legal channels.
Citing a legal representative, Sputnik reported that the charges against Durov could carry a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
According to Sputnik, the FSB alleged that Telegram failed to remove channels, chats and bots that were allegedly used by Ukrainian intelligence services to coordinate terrorist attacks and mass-casualty operations inside Russia.
The agency further claimed that these activities resulted in numerous deaths, including those of women and children, and caused billions of dollars in material damage.
Sputnik also reported that the FSB accused Ukrainian operatives of using Telegram's dating service to pose as young women, establish contact with Russian men and recruit them to carry out terrorist activities.
According to the report, Russian authorities have detained 46 young users of the dating service across 16 regions since July 2025 for allegedly acting on instructions from Ukrainian intelligence to attack police officers and carry out arson attacks.
Earlier, the 41-year-old billionaire was charged by French prosecutors over alleged offences linked to Telegram, including the dissemination of child sexual abuse material, fraud and drug trafficking.
At the time, Durov said operating a global communications platform required balancing privacy and security, adding that Telegram had chosen to face bans in countries such as Russia and Iran rather than comply with certain government demands.
(With ANI inputs)
