Telegram Founder and Chief Executive Pavel Durov, has formally been charged by Russia with facilitating terrorist activities, accusing the encrypted messaging platform of being used by Ukrainian intelligence services to recruit and coordinate individuals for attacks inside Russian territory, marking a significant escalation in Moscow’s long-running dispute with the technology entrepreneur.
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The country’s Federal Security Service (FSB) announced on Wednesday that it had opened criminal proceedings against Durov and plans to place him on an international wanted list, alleging that Telegram failed to prevent its platform from being used for terrorist-related activities.
According to the FSB, Ukrainian intelligence agents allegedly exploited a Telegram chatbot known as “Daivinchik” (Leo Dating) to pose as women and recruit young Russians into carrying out acts of sabotage and terrorism.
Russian authorities said 46 people aged between 12 and 22 had been arrested over the past year in connection with the alleged recruitment network.
The development comes despite Telegram’s widespread use across Russia by government agencies, state institutions, military bloggers and millions of citizens, even as Moscow has tightened control over digital platforms since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine.
However, Durov while responding to the allegations, rejected the accusations and maintained that Telegram complies with legal obligations while safeguarding users’ privacy.
“Telegram exceeds its legal obligations when it comes to moderation, cooperation and fighting crime,” Durov has previously stated in response to similar allegations regarding the platform’s content moderation practices.
In an apparent show of defiance following the announcement of the charges, Telegram’s official X account posted an image of Durov making an obscene gesture directed at Moscow, underscoring the increasingly strained relationship between the billionaire entrepreneur and Russian authorities.
Durov, a Russian-born entrepreneur who now holds French and Emirati citizenship and resides in Dubai, left Russia in 2014 after refusing government demands related to his previous social networking platform, VKontakte. He has since positioned Telegram as a privacy-focused messaging platform with more than one billion users globally.
The latest charges add to Durov’s growing legal challenges. He is already facing separate judicial proceedings in France over allegations linked to Telegram’s handling of illegal content on its platform, allegations he has denied.
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