Russia's Federal Security Service has charged Telegram founder Pavel Durov with facilitating terrorist activity and issued an international arrest warrant, Interfax reported. The FSB alleges Telegram left channels and bots allegedly used by Ukrainian intelligence services and terrorist organizations active on the platform. Durov, who has called the Russian investigation politically motivated, is already under criminal investigation in France.
Russia's Federal Security Service charged Durov with facilitating terrorist activity and issued an international arrest warrant on Wednesday, according to Russian news agency Interfax. The warrant puts Telegram's founder under legal scrutiny from two governments at once, each pursuing a case built around how the platform handles unlawful content.
The case centers on allegations that Telegram failed to remove channels, group chats and bots that Ukrainian intelligence services, terrorist organizations and extremist groups allegedly used to coordinate attacks, recruit operatives and carry out cyber fraud. Russian authorities first opened a criminal case against Durov earlier this year, and the latest action seeks his arrest outside Russia.
Durov has called the Russian investigation politically motivated
Responding in February through a post on X, Durov said the investigation was politically motivated and accused Moscow of trying to pressure Telegram into limiting user privacy. He wrote that Russian authorities were creating "new pretexts" every day to restrict access to Telegram as part of what he described as an effort to suppress privacy and freedom of speech.
Before the Russian warrant, Durov had framed his legal battles as part of a wider debate over digital privacy and government oversight. Writing on X in October 2025, he warned that governments across several regions were introducing measures that could weaken online privacy under the justification of regulation and public safety, citing digital identification initiatives in the United Kingdom, mandatory age verification rules in Australia and the European Union's proposed Chat Control legislation.
Toncoin fell more than 20% after the 2024 arrest in France
French authorities arrested Durov at Le Bourget Airport near Paris in August 2024, an event that briefly rattled crypto markets. Toncoin dropped more than 20% within 24 hours following the arrest as investors reacted to uncertainty surrounding Telegram and its blockchain ecosystem. Telegram has maintained close ties with the blockchain sector through The Open Network (TON), which Durov originally helped develop before regulatory changes separated the blockchain project from Telegram's direct control.
The French investigation remains active
Durov remains under criminal investigation in France over allegations that Telegram enabled illegal activities including organized crime, drug trafficking and cybercrime. French officials later eased his travel restrictions, allowing him to leave the country earlier this year, although the investigation is still open.
He has consistently rejected the accusations. In August 2025, Durov argued that holding the chief executive of a communications platform responsible for actions committed by users established what he described as a legally unsound precedent. Since his detention in France, Telegram has updated its terms of service and privacy policy to clarify how the company responds to valid requests from law enforcement agencies.
Source: crypto.news
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