Pavel Durov placed on international wanted list by Russia over Telegram case

Russian authorities have placed Telegram founder Pavel Durov on an international wanted list after accusing him of facilitating terrorist activity through the messaging platform.

Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said Wednesday that it has charged Durov with facilitating terrorist activity and issued an international arrest warrant, according to Russian news agency Interfax. 

The case centers on allegations that Telegram failed to remove channels, group chats and bots that Ukrainian intelligence services, terrorist organizations and extremist groups allegedly used to coordinate attacks, recruit operatives and carry out cyber fraud.

The move adds another legal battle for Durov, who is already facing criminal proceedings in France related to Telegram’s content moderation practices. The latest action also comes less than two years after his arrest in France.

Russian case has escalated into an international warrant

According to Interfax, the FSB alleges that Telegram allowed accounts linked to Ukrainian intelligence services, terrorist organizations and extremist groups to remain active despite their alleged use in planning attacks, recruiting members and conducting online fraud.

Russian authorities first opened a criminal case against Durov earlier this year. Responding in February through a post on X, Durov said the investigation was politically motivated and accused Moscow of trying to pressure Telegram into limiting user privacy.

At the time, he wrote that Russian authorities were creating “new pretexts” every day to restrict access to Telegram as part of what he described as an effort to suppress privacy and freedom of speech.

The latest warrant significantly escalates the case by seeking Durov’s arrest outside Russia as authorities continue pursuing criminal charges against him.

Pavel Durov is already fighting a case in France

Outside Russia, Durov remains under criminal investigation in France over allegations that Telegram enabled illegal activities including organized crime, drug trafficking and cybercrime.

French authorities arrested Durov at Le Bourget Airport near Paris in August 2024, an event that briefly rattled crypto markets. Toncoin dropped more than 20% within 24 hours following the arrest as investors reacted to uncertainty surrounding Telegram and its blockchain ecosystem.

At the time, French investigators alleged that Telegram’s moderation practices were insufficient to prevent criminal abuse of the platform. Authorities also examined allegations involving fraud, money laundering and child sexual abuse material.

French officials later eased Durov’s travel restrictions, allowing him to leave the country earlier this year, although the criminal investigation remains active.

Durov has consistently rejected the accusations. In August 2025, he argued that holding the chief executive of a communications platform responsible for actions committed by users established what he described as a legally unsound precedent.

He also said French authorities had failed to use established legal channels before requesting user information in 2024, adding that Telegram had complied with legally valid requests and maintained moderation standards comparable to other major technology platforms.

Privacy debate has remained central to Durov’s response

Long before the Russian warrant, Durov had increasingly framed his legal battles as part of a wider debate over digital privacy and government oversight.

Writing on X in October 2025, Durov warned that governments across several regions were introducing measures that could weaken online privacy under the justification of regulation and public safety.

He cited digital identification initiatives in the United Kingdom, mandatory age verification rules in Australia and the European Union’s proposed Chat Control legislation as examples of policies that, in his view, could reduce private communications.

According to Durov, secure messaging platforms should resist becoming surveillance tools even while complying with legitimate legal obligations. He also criticized Germany, the United Kingdom and France over what he described as increasing pressure on online speech and privacy.

His comments echoed long-standing concerns within parts of the cryptocurrency industry, where privacy has remained a key principle since Bitcoin’s creation. Telegram has also maintained close ties with the blockchain sector through The Open Network (TON), which Durov originally helped develop before regulatory changes separated the blockchain project from Telegram’s direct control.

Legal pressure has continued while Telegram adapts its policies

Telegram has introduced several policy changes since Durov’s detention in France, including updates to its terms of service and privacy policy that clarify how the company responds to valid requests from law enforcement agencies.

Even after those changes, Durov has repeatedly maintained that Telegram will continue protecting user privacy while cooperating with lawful investigations conducted through appropriate legal procedures.

The new Russian warrant places Telegram’s founder under simultaneous legal scrutiny from two governments that have pursued separate cases built around the platform’s handling of unlawful content. Whether Russia’s international warrant results in an arrest remains uncertain.