US EditionRussia Investigates Telegram Founder Durov as Part of Criminal Case, State-Run Newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta Reports
Russian authorities accuse Pavel Durov of enabling terrorism and hybrid warfare through Telegram, citing over 153,000 crimes since 2022, including 33,000 linked to sabotage and extremism.
- Rossiyskaya Gazeta and Komsomolskaya Pravda said on February 24, 2026, Russia opened a criminal investigation into Pavel Durov under Part 1.1 of Article 205.1 for facilitating terrorist activity.
- Amid months-long pressure on Telegram, the FSB alleges it refused to provide encryption keys, enabling attacks and involving NATO and Ukraine in 'hybrid warfare,' according to reports.
- Founder Pavel Durov, who lives in Dubai, holds French and UAE citizenship, and was arrested in France in August 2024, has not commented on the investigation, while Telegram has around 90 million users in Russia.
- Russian officials say the measures are intended to impose security, citing the maximum 15-year prison sentence for aiding terrorism under the Criminal Code of Russia Part 1.1, Article 205.1, and link refusals to attacks like the March 2024 Crocus City Hall shooting.
- Telegram and Durov have pushed back, saying the restrictions aim to force Russians onto MAX, while Telegram says it has more than 1 billion active users globally.
113 Articles
113 Articles
Why Telegram is on the verge of being banned in Russia The Federal Security Service of Russia has launched an investigation into its founder for alleged support of terrorism. There is widespread speculation that the company is building a justification for a complete blocking of Telegram. Founder Pavel Durov is hated for refusing to disclose his encryption key. Government urges users to move to state-run communication app Max.
Amid Telegram restrictions, Russia targets founder Pavel Durov with criminal probe
Pavel Durov, the founder of the Telegram messaging app, said Tuesday that the Russian government had opened a criminal investigation against him on charges of “aiding terrorism”. Durov, who was born and began his career in Russia, accused Moscow of fabricating pretexts to restrict Russians’ access to Telegram as part of what he described as an attempt to “suppress the right to privacy and free speech”. “A sad spectacle of a state afraid of its o…
Russia opens ‘aiding terrorism’ case against Telegram founder Pavel Durov
Russian authorities have opened a criminal case on charges of “aiding terrorism” against Telegram founder Pavel Durov. “Every day the authorities come up with new pretexts to restrict Russians’ access to Telegram, seeking to suppress the right to privacy and freedom of speech. It’s a sad spectacle of a state afraid of its own people,” Durov wrote on his Telegram channel. Rossiyskaya Gazeta, citing “materials” from the Federal Security Service (F…
The Russian judiciary is investigating the founder of the Telegram intelligence service for allegations of terrorist support.
Russian authorities today launched a criminal investigation against Telegram founder Pavel Durov over suspicions that the platform was used for terrorist activities.
The Telegram founder Pavel Durov appears to be in the sights of Russian authorities. In a message he draws attention to a alleged trial against him. The Kremlin gives itself word-karg.
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