Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said Tuesday it is seeking Telegram founder Pavel Durov internationally after charging him with assisting terrorist activities, alleging the messaging platform failed to remove accounts and channels used by Ukrainian intelligence services.
According to a statement carried by Rusia Today (RT), the FSB alleged that Telegram’s administration failed to remove channels, chats and automated accounts, or bots, that Ukrainian intelligence services used to plan acts of sabotage and terrorism inside Russia, as well as cyber fraud operations that resulted in casualties, including women and children, and caused billions of dollars in material losses.
The agency said its investigation found that Ukrainian intelligence had used the Telegram-based dating service DaVinchik to recruit Russian citizens through deception and psychological manipulation to carry out acts of sabotage and terrorism.
The FSB added that Russian security forces have detained 46 Russian users of the DaVinchik service since July 2025, accusing them of carrying out attacks on security personnel and setting fire to various sites under the direction of Ukrainian intelligence services.
The agency said criminal charges had been filed against Durov under Article 205.1 of the Russian Criminal Code, which pertains to assisting terrorist activities, adding that he will be placed on the international wanted list.
Telegram is a cloud-based instant messaging platform founded in 2013 by Russian brothers Pavel and Nikolai Durov. The service offers end-to-end encryption for certain communications, public channels for broadcasting content to large audiences, and support for bots and other automated services.
T.S /Ruaa
