Telegram Founder Pavel Durov Has Been Charged In Russia With “aiding Terrorism”
- 29.07.2026, 10:11
He will be placed on the wanted list.
Telegram founder Pavel Durov has been charged in Russia under a law regarding aiding terrorism. The FSB reported this to TASS.
“Telegram co-founder Pavel Durov has been charged in Russia with aiding terrorist activities. Proceedings have been initiated to place Durov on an international wanted list in connection with the case of aiding terrorism,” the security service reported.
The case against Durov stems from the fact that Telegram’s administration failed to remove channels, chats, and bots that are actively used by Ukrainian intelligence agencies “to plan terrorist attacks in Russia,” writes RBC citing the FSB.
Russia’s Investigative Committee stated that criminal cases have been opened regarding the involvement of young people in sabotage and terrorist activities through a dating chat on Telegram.
“It has been established that Ukrainian intelligence services used the chatbot ‘Davyinchik/Leo’—which is popular among young people—on the Telegram messaging app to recruit citizens of the Russian Federation, primarily minors, into sabotage and terrorist activities,” said Svetlana Petrenko, an official spokesperson for the Investigative Committee.
Nineteen individuals aged 14 to 18 have been detained in connection with the case; they were recruited by Ukrainian intelligence officers to commit crimes using the aforementioned service.
“Fifteen criminal cases, initiated between May 2025 and May 2026 regarding the commission by minors—who were users of the aforementioned Telegram service— terrorist acts by setting fire to vehicles, administrative buildings, and gas pumps. As part of the criminal investigation, investigators are identifying specific employees of Ukraine’s special services who recruited minors through the aforementioned platform,” Petrenko stated.
According to the Investigative Committee, Ukrainian special services used a scheme to befriend young men by posing as young women and sending them phishing links designed to hack into their personal accounts on government service platforms, as well as requests to send geolocation data for their home addresses, public places, shopping centers, schools, and other facilities.
“Subsequently, the young men are contacted by representatives of Ukraine’s special services, who pose as employees of law enforcement agencies or other Russian government bodies, after which, through threats, intimidation, and psychological pressure, they coerce them into committing crimes of a terrorist or sabotage nature, including against transportation infrastructure facilities,” the Investigative Committee reported.
In April 2026, Pavel Durov said that a summons had been delivered to the Russian apartment where he had lived 20 years ago, naming him as a suspect.
In February, *Rossiyskaya Gazeta* and *Komsomolskaya Pravda*, citing FSB materials, reported that Telegram founder Pavel Durov’s actions were under investigation as part of a criminal case involving aiding terrorist activities.
It was noted that the messaging app’s administration had failed to comply with Roskomnadzor’s demands to remove thousands of channels, chats, and bots linked to terrorism, drugs, and child pornography. Furthermore, it is claimed that, amid the war, Telegram has become the “main tool” of the intelligence services of NATO countries and Ukraine.
Back in August 2025, Roskomnadzor restricted voice calls via Telegram. Russian media reported that the authorities plan to completely block Telegram in early April 2026. As early as mid-March, users in Russia began complaining about the messenger not working properly.