Russia's domestic security service, the FSB, has charged Pavel Durov, the founder of the popular messaging app Telegram, with facilitating terrorism. The agency alleges that the app has been used to "prepare and co-ordinate acts of sabotage and terror" within Russia and has accused Telegram of failing to remove channels, chats, and bots utilized by Ukraine's secret service for recruitment purposes.
An international arrest warrant has been issued for Durov, a Russian-born entrepreneur who resides abroad and holds French and United Arab Emirates passports. Telegram's official account on X, formerly Twitter, responded shortly after the charges were announced by posting an image of Durov holding up his middle finger. Durov has previously asserted that Russian authorities were fabricating pretexts to restrict access to Telegram.
Telegram remains a widely used platform in Russia, with tens of millions of users. However, Russian authorities have been implementing restrictions on internet access as part of a broader effort to control online information. It is currently unclear whether other countries would honor an arrest warrant issued by Russia.