Russia puts Telegram founder Pavel Durov on wanted list following new criminal charges

On Wednesday, Russia’s domestic security agency announced that Pavel Durov has been charged with aiding terrorism and reportedly put on an international wanted list.

The charges against Durov stem from actions during his early career in Russia before he moved abroad. This comes as the Russian authorities conduct a persistent campaign to bring the internet under the Kremlin’s full control that has intensified since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

In this connection, the Federal Security Service accused Telegram’s administration on Wednesday of failing to delete various channels, chats and bots that are actively used by Ukrainian intelligence, terrorist and militant networks to prepare and systematize acts of sabotage, and cyber fraud in Russia, resulting in mass casualties.

This year Durov clarified that the Russian authorities had launched a probe against him, accusing them of fabricating explanations to restrict access to Telegram as part of a significant attempt to suppress freedom of expression.

Russian authorities have been actively engaged in comprehensive regulatory crackdowns under the guidance of President Vladimir Putin.

On the contrary, they have enacted stringent legislation, banned websites and platforms that do not comply with advanced technologies to monitor and manipulate online traffic.

Crucially, Durov has faced criminal investigations; and got arrested in 2024 over claims that his service was used for illicit activity including drug trafficking and the distribution of indecent images of children.

Nonetheless, prominent social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and X have been banned in Russia; while the most preferred ones-WhatsApp and Telegram have been restricted.