Russia’s main domestic security agency announced on Wednesday that Pavel Durov, the founder of the Telegram messenger, has been accused of aiding terrorism and placed on the international wanted list. The charges against Durov, who was born in Russia and began his career there before relocating abroad, arise amid increasing restrictions imposed by Russian authorities on Telegram, one of the country’s most popular messaging apps.
This is part of the Kremlin’s long-term campaign to tighten control over the internet, which has intensified since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The Federal Security Service (FSB) stated on Wednesday that the Telegram administration had failed to remove “numerous channels, chats, and bots” that it claims “are actively used by Ukrainian intelligence agencies, terrorist and extremist organizations to prepare and coordinate acts of sabotage and terrorism, mass killings, and cyber fraud” in Russia, resulting in “numerous human casualties”.
Charges against Durov and internet control
Earlier this year, Durov revealed that Russian authorities had opened a criminal investigation against him, accusing them of fabricating reasons to restrict access to Telegram. He contends that this is part of an effort to “suppress the right to privacy and freedom of speech”.
Under President Vladimir Putin, Russian authorities have consistently tightened control over the internet. They have enacted restrictive laws, banned websites and platforms that do not comply with their requirements, and enhanced technologies for monitoring and manipulating online traffic.
Numerous popular social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and X, have been banned in Russia; YouTube has been slowed down; popular messengers like Signal and Viber have been blocked, while the most widely used ones—WhatsApp and Telegram—have faced restrictions. Although some users can bypass these restrictions using virtual private network (VPN) services, many of those are also regularly blocked.
At the same time, Russia is actively promoting a “national” messenger called MAX, which critics argue can be used for surveillance. Developers and officials market the platform as a universal hub for messaging, online government services, payments, and more. It explicitly states that it will share user data with authorities upon request, and experts claim it does not utilize end-to-end encryption.
Durov has also faced criminal investigations in other countries. In 2024, he was arrested in Paris on charges that his platform was used for illegal activities, including drug trafficking and the distribution of images of sexual violence against children.
Source: AP
