Russia Charges Pavel Durov with Aiding Terrorism
Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Telegram founder Pavel Durov has been charged in Russia with facilitating terrorist activity, and procedures to put him on an international wanted list have been initiated, according to the Public Relations Center of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB).
According to the agency, Durov was charged under Part 1.1 of Article 205.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, which establishes liability for aiding terrorism.
The FSB stated that Telegram's administration failed to remove numerous channels, chats, and bots on the messaging platform that, according to the agency, were used by Ukrainian special services and terrorist organizations to prepare acts of sabotage and fraudulent schemes in Russia, resulting in casualties and significant material damage.
The cited article carries a penalty of 8 to 15 years in prison, accompanied by a fine of up to 700,000 rubles or the equivalent of the convicted person's income for a period of two to four years, or life imprisonment.
On 30 June 2026, Rosfinmonitoring added Durov to its list of terrorists and extremists.
Individuals and organizations included in this register are deprived of the right to interact with the media, publish information on the internet, organize public events, participate in elections, and use financial services, except for paying taxes, paying wages, and compensating for damages.
As reported by Rossiyskaya Gazeta in February with reference to FSB materials, the agency had been investigating Durov's actions as part of a criminal case into aiding terrorism since the beginning of the year.
According to these materials, approximately 153,000 crimes involving Telegram have been registered in Russia since 2022, including the terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall, the murders of several public and military figures, and the organization of explosions and arson attacks on military enlistment offices.
According to the FSB, the agency has prevented 475 terrorist attacks planned via the messaging app over several years, while Roskomnadzor sent more than 150,000 requests to Durov's team demanding the removal of illegal content.
In a comment to TASS, attorney Vladimir Zherebenkov noted that if proven guilty, Durov faces up to life imprisonment, and during the investigation he may also face charges under other articles. According to him, the accused could also be arrested in absentia in Russia—a procedure necessary for a subsequent extradition request, including through Interpol.
Andrey Svintsov, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy, stated that the charges against Durov do not mean an automatic ban on Telegram in Russia, and advised citizens to refrain from financial transactions within the platform until official clarifications from Roskomnadzor and the FSB are issued.
He suggested that the company retains the possibility to continue operating legally in the country provided it opens a representative office and cooperates with Russian special services.
Attorney Timur Chanyshev emphasized that the criminal prosecution of Durov does not entail a ban on the messaging app for ordinary users, and the qualification of specific violations will depend on the content of publications in individual channels.
