Moscow (AFP) – Russia announced on Wednesday that it was seeking the arrest of Telegram founder Pavel Durov over accusations of “complicity in terrorism,” alleging he had let the platform be used for recruitment by Ukraine’s security services. Russian-born Durov — a serial tech founder who has lived outside Russia for years and holds French and United Arab Emirates passports — has frequently clashed with the Russian authorities as Moscow has tightened its grip on the internet.
His Telegram messenger is one of the country’s main communications platforms, and officials have repeatedly tried to block access or thwart its success in a bid to pressure Durov to hand over user data or push Russians to use an unencrypted state-backed alternative. The FSB security service said it had launched international search proceedings for Durov, who is also Telegram’s CEO. “An international wanted notice has been issued…for the head of the Telegram administration, P. Durov,” it said in a statement.
It was unclear what kind of wanted notice Russia had issued and whether other countries or law enforcement bodies would accept or comply with it. Lawyers for Durov, 41, declined to comment when contacted by AFP. “Pavel Durov does not wish to comment at this stage,” Telegram told AFP.
Moscow frequently targets political enemies with charges of supporting “terrorism” or “extremism,” including those who have left the country. The FSB alleged Telegram had been used as a recruitment platform for Ukrainian security services. It says Telegram failed to remove a popular dating bot that, according to Moscow, is being used by Ukrainian special services to draw young Russians “into terrorist and sabotage activities.”
According to the statement, 46 Russian citizens between the ages of 12 and 22 who used Leo Match Bot, which is banned in Russia, have been arrested since July 2025 for assaulting law enforcement officers and carrying out acts of sabotage against energy and transportation infrastructure. It says they were all contacted on this bot by agents of the Ukrainian special services posing as young women, who then pressured them to attack police officers and set fire to infrastructure sites.
Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of using social media to recruit people to support them in the four-and-a-half-year war. Durov, 41, has lived in both Dubai and France. In 2024, he was arrested by French police on charges related to the distribution of illegal content but was later released on bail. He left France after authorities there lifted a travel ban.
Born in Saint Petersburg — President Vladimir Putin’s home city — Durov founded VKontakte, a social media site widely known as “Russia’s Facebook.” He was essentially forced out of the company as it came under pressure from the authorities in the mid-2010s and founded Telegram, a social media platform and private messenger. Telegram quickly became one of the most used online services in Russia and easily thwarted a years-long attempt by Moscow’s internet authorities to block access inside the country.
Durov — who is active on Telegram — did not immediately comment on the FSB allegations. This year, the VKontakte social network — now controlled by the state and known as VK — has been pushing the government-backed messenger Max, urging Russians to switch from Telegram and WhatsApp. Durov has criticised the platform as “a state-controlled app built for surveillance and political censorship.”
© 2024 AFP
