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Russia announced Wednesday that it had placed Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov on an international wanted list, accusing him of complicity in terrorism and alleging the messaging platform was used to facilitate attacks and recruitment for sabotage operations.
The Federal Security Service (FSB) announced that an international wanted notice had been issued for Durov, who was born in Russia and holds French and Emirati citizenship. Authorities noted that he is currently in France.
According to the FSB, Durov faces charges of aiding terrorist activity. If convicted, the offense carries a prison sentence of between seven and 15 years.
Russian authorities claim Telegram failed to remove channels, group chats and automated bots that they allege were used by Ukrainian intelligence services, as well as terrorist and extremist organizations, to organize sabotage, terrorist attacks and mass killings inside Russia.
The FSB also alleged that cybercriminal activity conducted through the platform caused billions of dollars in damages.
The FSB further alleged that Ukrainian intelligence agencies used Telegram's "Dayvinchik" dating chatbot to recruit young people for sabotage and terrorist activities.
Durov, 41, is the Russian-born founder and chief executive of Telegram, the encrypted messaging platform he launched with his brother Nikolai in 2013 after leaving Russia.
He previously founded the social networking site VKontakte (VK), often described as Russia's version of Facebook, but sold his stake and left the country in 2014 after refusing government demands to hand over user data and remove opposition content.
French authorities arrested him in August 2024 after he arrived at Le Bourget Airport near Paris as part of an investigation into allegations that Telegram failed to curb criminal activity on its platform.
Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Telegram has become one of the conflict's main communication platforms, used by Russian and Ukrainian officials, military bloggers and independent media alike.
In February, Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) alleged that Ukrainian military and intelligence agencies were able to rapidly obtain information shared on Telegram and use it for military purposes, claiming the app's use by Russian troops had repeatedly endangered their lives.
Russian authorities briefly restricted access to the platform before easing the curbs following backlash from pro-war military bloggers, who argued Telegram was essential for battlefield communications.
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