The FSB has issued a warrant for Pavel Durov's arrest
The FSB has issued a warrant for Pavel Durov's arrest, accusing the Telegram founder of aiding terrorism. The FSB has formally charged Pavel Durov with assisting terrorist activities and has declared him an international fugitive.
Consensus
- Pavel Durov was added to the Rosfinmonitoring registry of terrorists and extremists on July 30.
- The Federal Security Service (FSB) accused Pavel Durov of aiding terrorist activities by not removing channels, chats, and bots used for coordination of attacks in Russia.
- Ukrainian intelligence services are alleged to have used the Telegram chatbot 'Daiwinchik/Leo' to recruit Russian youth for sabotage and terrorism.
- The FSB reported that 46 individuals aged 12–22 were detained across multiple regions starting from July 2025 after being recruited through the bot.
- Telegram's operation in Russia has been restricted since August of the previous year due to non-compliance with Russian legislation.
- Durov was declared a wanted fugitive by the FSB and is subject to international arrest.
Points of divergence
- The Investigative Committee reported that 19 minors were detained, contradicting the FSB's claim of 46 arrests. — meduza
- Published materials from RT showing a Telegram interface actually depict VKontakte’s interface, raising doubts about evidence authenticity. — tg_doxajournal
- Telegram became the most popular messenger in Russia in January 2026, surpassing WhatsApp, despite restrictions and reduced daily usage time. — novaya_eu
- Durov changed his profile picture to an image of a terrorist from ISIS after the FSB announcement but later reverted it. — meduza
- The French authorities have also opened a criminal case against Durov since 2024, related to crimes committed using Telegram. — kommerant
Coverage (20 sources)
- Росфинмониторинг внес Павла Дурова в перечень террористов и экстремистов — Интерфакс
- FSB issued a warrant for Pavel Durov, accusing Telegram founder of 'facilitating terrorism' FSB filed charges against Pavel... — SOTAvision
- Дурова внесли в перечень террористов и экстремистов — Вести
- Experts reveal what the charge against Durov means for Telegram users — Вести
- FSB accuses Pavel Durov of aiding terrorism. In response, he set a photo of himself as a terrorist on his avatar. Main — Meduza
- FSB and Investigative Committee seek the founder of Telegram, Pavel Durov — Коммерсантъ
- FSB accuses Pavel Durov of 'facilitating terrorist activity' and initiates international warrant procedure — DOXA
- ФСБ обвинила Павла Дурова в содействии терроризму. «Новая-Европа» поговорила с юристами о возможных последствиях для мессенджера и пользователей — Новая газета Европа
- FSB issues wanted notice for Durov: reasons, link to 'Diving', Telegram blocks — Вечерняя Москва
- Telegram Responds to FSB Accusations Against Durov in Terrorist Support — Дождь (Telegram)
- Pavel Durov Responds to FSB Accusations with an Impolite Gesture — Вечерняя Москва
- Telegram Responds to Criminal Case Against Durov in Russia — Коммерсантъ
- Pavel Durov placed on international wanted list; accused of aiding terrorism — Холод
- FSB accuses Pavel Durov of aiding terrorism due to a bot also present on 'VKontakte' — Сибирь.Реалии
- Telegram founder Pavel Durov faces terrorism-related charges over 'Diving' account — ASTRA
- Telegram founder Pavel Durov faces terrorism-related charges over 'Diving' account — ASTRA
- FSB Accuses Pavel Durov of Facilitating Terrorism — ЭХО / Новости
- FSB accuses Durov of 'facilitating terrorism' and issues international warrant — The Moscow Times
- Telegram founder Pavel Durov faces terrorism-related charges over 'Diving' account — ASTRA
- Telegram founder Pavel Durov faces terrorism-related charges over 'Diving' account — ASTRA
Key entities
- Pavel Durov
- FSB
- Telegram
- Russia
- Divingchik
- Ukraine
- Moscow
- RIA Novosti
- VKontakte
- Rosfinmonitoring
- X
- Center for Public Relations
- Paul
- Ruslan Koblev
More on Pavel Durov
- Kazakhstan bans 'Daiwinchik' chat bot over underage risks
- Pavel Durov, founder of Telegram, is alleged by Spanish IT expert…
- Telegram was removed from the App Store due to pornographic fraud…