Russia's security service has charged Telegram founder and chief executive Pavel Durov with aiding terrorism, claiming his app failed to remove accounts allegedly used for recruitment and attack planning.
Key facts
- Russia's FSB has charged Telegram founder Pavel Durov with aiding terrorism.
- The FSB claims Telegram failed to remove accounts and channels used for recruitment by Ukraine's secret service, according to the BBC.
- Durov, 41, is a Russian-born billionaire who lives in the Gulf, according to the Guardian.
- The FSB has placed Durov on international wanted lists, the Guardian reported.
- Russia says the app is used for sabotage and murder, according to the Guardian.
Pavel Durov, the founder and chief executive of the encrypted messaging app Telegram, has been charged with aiding terrorism by Russia’s security agency, according to Sky News.
The FSB claims the messenger app, created by Durov, has failed to remove accounts and channels used for recruitment by Ukraine’s secret service, the BBC reported.
Russia’s FSB says Telegram has not pulled content used by Ukrainian intelligence and ‘terrorist’ groups to plan attacks, according to Al Jazeera.
The Guardian reported that the FSB has put Durov on international wanted lists and says his messaging app is used for sabotage and murder. The charges against the 41-year-old Russian-born billionaire, who lives in the Gulf, are described by the Guardian as the latest step by the Kremlin to bring the internet and digital communications under its control after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The accusations centre on Telegram’s alleged failure to remove content that Russian authorities say has been used by Ukrainian intelligence and other groups. Telegram has not been reported by the sources as responding to the charges.
Why it matters
The charges are described by the Guardian as the latest step in Russia's efforts to bring the internet and digital communications under its control since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Pavel Durov?
Pavel Durov is the founder and chief executive of the messaging app Telegram. According to the Guardian, he is a 41-year-old Russian-born billionaire who lives in the Gulf.
What exactly is Russia accusing Telegram of?
Russia's FSB claims Telegram failed to remove accounts and channels allegedly used for recruitment by Ukraine's secret service and content used to plan attacks, and says the app is used for sabotage and murder, according to the BBC, Al Jazeera and the Guardian.
Has Durov been placed on any wanted lists?
According to the Guardian, the FSB has put Pavel Durov on international wanted lists.