Russia Seeks Arrest of Telegram Founder Pavel Durov Over Terrorism Charges

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Moscow: Russia has issued an international arrest warrant for Telegram founder Pavel Durov, accusing him of facilitating terrorist activities by failing to remove content that authorities say was used to coordinate attacks, sabotage and cybercrime inside the country.

Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said Telegram allowed channels, chats and bots allegedly used by Ukrainian intelligence services and extremist groups to organise terrorist acts, mass killings and cyber fraud within Russia.

Neither Durov nor Telegram immediately responded directly to the charges, although Telegram's official X account posted an image of Durov shortly after the announcement.

Durov, who holds French and Emirati citizenship and is believed to be outside Russia, has long resisted government demands for greater control over Telegram. The messaging platform has more than one billion users worldwide and remains widely used despite repeated attempts by Moscow to curb its influence.

Pic Credit: AFP