Pavel Durov wanted list case escalates Telegram’s Russia fight

Russia has put Telegram founder Pavel Durov on an international wanted list and charged him with facilitating terrorism, escalating a long-running fight over control of one of the country’s most important communications platforms. The Federal Security Service, or FSB, said Wednesday that Telegram failed to remove channels, chats and bots allegedly used by Ukrainian intelligence to recruit young Russians for sabotage and attacks inside Russia.

The charges are aimed at Durov personally, not just at Telegram as a service. The FSB alleged that recruitment efforts on Telegram were linked to armed attacks on police and arson against transport, energy, communications and financial infrastructure. The agency said the incidents caused multiple casualties, including women and children, though it did not provide a public accounting of the cases in the announcement.

Why did Russia put Pavel Durov on a wanted list?

The FSB’s case centers on claims that Ukrainian intelligence used Telegram infrastructure to contact Russian minors and young adults, then pressured them into committing attacks. The agency said 46 Russian citizens between ages 12 and 22 have been arrested across Russia since July 2025 after allegedly taking instructions from Ukrainian handlers.

One named service in the accusations is Leo, a Telegram dating bot that the FSB said has more than 13 million users. Russian authorities claimed Ukrainian operatives used the bot while posing as women, built fake romantic relationships with young Russian men, and then steered them toward phishing links for cinema tickets, concert tickets or gifts.

According to the FSB, the alleged scheme then shifted to coercion. The agency said people pretending to be Russian law enforcement or Rosfinmonitoring officials contacted the targets through foreign messaging apps, accused them of sending money to Ukraine’s armed forces or helping provide coordinates for strikes, and threatened prosecution unless they carried out arson or armed attacks described as security checks.

Leo was banned in Russia on Dec. 23, 2025, with authorities saying it carried material related to child sexual abuse and LGBT propaganda. Russia’s Supreme Court in November 2023 labeled what officials call the “international LGBT movement” as extremist, despite the absence of a single formal organization by that name, and prohibited its activities in the country.

Telegram remains hard for Moscow to replace

Russia has also accused Telegram of leaving up content tied to those banned categories and accounts allegedly used by Ukrainian intelligence. The move comes as the Kremlin promotes MAX, a state-backed messaging app. Since 2025, smartphones sold in Russia have been required to ship with MAX preinstalled.

Telegram still occupies an awkward position for Moscow. The app remains far more widely used in Russia than MAX, and government agencies continue to publish official updates through Telegram even as security authorities pursue its founder.

Neither Durov nor Telegram has issued a formal statement responding to the Russian charges. Telegram’s social media account posted an image of Durov raising his middle finger to the camera.

Durov, 41, left Russia in 2014 and is based in the United Arab Emirates. He holds citizenship in Russia, France, the UAE, and St Kitts and Nevis. It is not yet clear whether Russia will obtain an Interpol notice or seek extradition from Emirati authorities.

The Russian case adds to Durov’s legal exposure in Europe. French authorities arrested him in August 2024 and charged him with offenses tied to alleged failures to stop criminal activity on Telegram, including drug trafficking, cyberbullying, organized crime and distribution of child sexual abuse material. That case remains open, although Durov was permitted to return to Dubai in March 2025.

This story draws on original reporting from The Register.