Russia has charged Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram, with supporting terrorist activities and has placed him on an international wanted list.
According to a statement from the Federal Security Service (FSB) reported by RIA Novosti on July 29, the agency announced that Durov has been indicted in a criminal case related to terrorism support.
The FSB alleged that Telegram's management failed to delete channels and automated response programs used by Ukrainian intelligence agencies and extremist groups to prepare for terrorism, arson, and cybercrime in Russia. Durov and Telegram did not immediately respond to the Russian authorities' announcement.
Earlier in February, Russia stated it was investigating Durov for allegedly supporting terrorist activities. At that time, Durov had criticized the Russian government for pressuring Telegram to suppress privacy and freedom of expression.
Russian authorities have pointed to Telegram's dating service, 'Daivinchik,' as a tool for luring Russian youth into criminal activities.
According to the FSB, Ukrainian intelligence agents disguised as women approached Russians, suggesting meeting locations and sharing location information. They also sent phishing links, claiming to pay for movie or concert tickets and gifts.
Subsequently, other agents posed as employees of Russian investigative agencies or the Federal Financial Monitoring Service and contacted these individuals. The FSB claimed that funds from these transactions flowed into accounts of the Ukrainian military, and the shared location information was used to plan missile and drone attacks.
The FSB stated that young people subjected to this psychological pressure were mobilized to attack security agency personnel or set fire to transportation, energy, and communication facilities.
In connection with this, the FSB reported that since July of last year, in cooperation with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Investigative Committee, 46 youths aged 12 to 22 have been arrested across 16 regions of Russia. It claimed that the crimes committed by these individuals resulted in numerous casualties, including women and children, and caused damages amounting to billions of rubles.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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