Russia's Federal Security Service charged Telegram founder Pavel Durov with aiding terrorist activity and placed him on an international wanted list, according to Interfax. The FSB ties the case to Telegram's alleged failure to remove channels, chats and bots used to coordinate attacks inside Russia. Toncoin traded at $1.41 as the charges landed.
Russia's Federal Security Service has charged Telegram founder Pavel Durov with aiding terrorist activity and placed him on an international wanted list, Interfax reported. Reuters separately reported that the agency had issued an international warrant for his arrest.
FSB ties the case to channels used by Ukrainian services
The FSB said Wednesday that Durov was charged under the Russian Criminal Code provision covering assistance to terrorist activity. Coinpedia reported that the charge falls under Article 205.1, Part 1.1, and that the security service warned Durov could face a serious prison sentence.
According to the FSB, the case relates to Telegram's alleged failure to remove channels, chats and bots that it said were used by Ukrainian special services, terrorist, and extremist organizations to coordinate acts of sabotage, terrorism, mass killings, and cyber fraud within Russia. The agency also alleged that Ukrainian operatives used Telegram's dating service to approach Russian men and later recruit them for attacks, Coinpedia reported.
Toncoin slips to $1.41 as futures open interest drops
Toncoin traded at $1.41 on Wednesday, down 3.03% over the past 24 hours. CoinGape reported that trading volume increased by almost 70% over the last 24 hours as traders moved in response to the arrest warrant.
Derivatives traders pulled back at the same time. Total GRAM futures open interest tumbled 8% in the last 24 hours, to $91.24 million, CoinGlass data showed. The 4-hour figure fell 5.60%, which CoinGape said signals negative sentiment among derivatives traders.
Telegram widens its crypto plans
The charges arrive as Telegram expands its digital asset strategy. Earlier this month, Durov said the company plans to roll out a native non-custodial GRAM wallet to Telegram's roughly 1 billion users. That followed the June rebranding of The Open Network's native token from Toncoin to GRAM as Telegram assumes a larger role in the ecosystem.
Fines, restrictions and a French case
Meanwhile, the charges mark the latest escalation in Russia's long-running dispute with Telegram. Interfax reported that the platform has been fined more than 100 million rubles ($1.3 million) this year for failing to remove content prohibited under Russian law. Russia has also continued restricting Telegram's operations while promoting its state-backed MAX messaging service.
Durov, who holds Emirati and French citizenship, was arrested by French authorities in 2024 over allegations that Telegram failed to adequately counter criminal activity on its platform. He denies wrongdoing and slammed that arrest as "legally and logically absurd". Coinpedia reported that Durov has not publicly commented on the recent Russian charges.
Sources: The Block, CoinGape, Coinpedia Fintech News
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