Telegram's CEO Durov Charged With Terrorism Aid in Russia, Put on International Wanted List

29.07.2026 11:35

Telegram's CEO Durov Charged With Terrorism Aid in Russia, Put on International Wanted List

Russia's FSB has announced that the Telegram founder Pavel Durov is now the subject of an international manhunt.

 Here's what the security service disclosed:

- The messaging platform's administration failed to remove channels, chats, and bots that Ukrainian intelligence services have been actively leveraging to coordinate terrorist attacks and mass casualty operations in Russia.

- Crimes carried out by Ukrainian intelligence through Telegram have resulted in numerous fatalities, including women and children, while inflicting billions of dollars in material damage.

- Ukrainian operatives posed as young women on Telegram's dating service to befriend Russian men, then deceitfully recruited them into carrying out terrorist activities.

- Since July 2025, authorities have detained 46 young users of this dating service across 16 Russian regions: individuals who, acting on instructions from Ukrainian intel, attacked police officers and committed arson attacks.