Russia Charges Telegram Founder Pavel Durov, Seeks International Arrest

Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) announced that it has formally charged Telegram founder Pavel Durov with aiding terrorist activity as part of an ongoing criminal investigation. Authorities also placed him on the international wanted list and said they will seek his extradition. FSB Explains Charges Against Durov According to the FSB, the case stems from Telegram's alleged failure to remove numerous channels, group chats, and bots that Russian authorities claim Ukrainian intelligence services, terrorist groups, and extremist organizations have used to coordinate sabotage, terrorist attacks, cyber fraud, and other criminal activities inside Russia. The agency alleges these activities resulted in multiple deaths and billions of rubles in economic damage. The FSB also cited Telegram's alleged failure to remove prohibited content from the chatbot DaVinchik, whose web address has been added to Russia's official register of banned websites. Russian authorities said the service contained illegal content, including child sexual abuse material and material prohibited under Russian law.