Russia has filed terrorism charges against Telegram founder Pavel Durov, accusing the platform of allowing Ukrainian intelligence services to coordinate attacks and run espionage operations inside Russian territory. Russian authorities are seeking to place Durov on an international wanted list — a request that would go to Interpol and other international law-enforcement bodies.
The charges appear designed to pressure Telegram into cooperating with Russian content demands or restricting access for certain users. Telegram is one of the world’s most widely used messaging apps, and Durov — who also founded VKontakte before leaving Russia in 2014 — has built Telegram’s reputation in part around resisting government access requests. France arrested Durov in August 2024 over separate allegations that Telegram failed to moderate illegal content; he was released on bail and has since remained in Dubai. Russia’s move adds a new legal front to the pressure campaign against him and could complicate his international travel if Interpol acts on the warrant request.