- Russia’s Federal Security Service said on Wednesday it had placed Pavel Durov on an international wanted list and charged him under Article 205.1 of the criminal code with aiding terrorist activity, which carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
- The FSB alleges Telegram refused to remove channels, chats and bots used by Ukrainian special services and by groups Russia designates as terrorist; it named no specific incident and published no supporting evidence.
- Neither Durov nor Telegram has commented on the charge, no Interpol notice has been reported, and Durov holds French and Emirati citizenship.
The FSB alleges that Telegram’s administration refused to delete channels, chats and bots used by Ukrainian special services and by organisations Russia designates as terrorist or extremist to coordinate sabotage, mass killings and cyber-fraud.
It claims those crimes caused numerous casualties, including women and children, and material damage in the billions.
The agency named no specific incident and published no evidence supporting the claim.
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Two Agencies, Two Numbers
The FSB says Ukrainian intelligence used a Telegram dating bot called DaiVinchik, or Leo, to recruit Russians for sabotage, and that 46 of its users aged 12 to 22 have been detained across 16 regions since July 2025.
Russia’s Investigative Committee, reporting the same day, put the number of detained teenagers at 19 and did not mention Durov at all. Neither agency explained the discrepancy.
Durov has not responded to the charge, and Telegram issued no statement. The company’s account on X posted a photograph of him holding up his middle finger, and his own Telegram channel carried nothing about the case as of Thursday afternoon AEST.
Durov was born in Russia and holds French and Emirati citizenship. No Interpol notice has been reported; the listing is Russia’s own. Interpol says a Red Notice “is an international alert for a wanted person, but it is not an arrest warrant”.
Durov was arrested in Paris in 2024 and remains under formal investigation in France over separate allegations that Telegram failed to curb crime on the platform, which he denies.
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