Telegram founder Pavel Durov has become the central figure in a new high-profile criminal case in Russia. His name has been added to the official register of individuals allegedly involved in extremist activities or terrorism, maintained by Russia’s Federal Financial Monitoring Service (Rosfinmonitoring). At the same time, Russian law enforcement authorities have initiated procedures to place the entrepreneur on the international wanted list.
According to the Russian authorities, Durov is under investigation under Part 1.1 of Article 205.1 of the Russian Criminal Code – “Facilitating Terrorist Activities.” Investigators claim that Telegram’s administration allegedly failed to remove channels, chats, and bots which, according to the FSB, were used by Ukrainian intelligence services to prepare terrorist attacks, mass killings, and cyber fraud. The agency states that the activities of these resources resulted in numerous casualties and caused billions of rubles in financial damage.
Another element of the investigation involves statements by the FSB regarding the popular dating chatbot “Daivinchik/Leo.” According to the agency, criminals allegedly used the service to recruit Russian teenagers and young adults into criminal activities. Authorities claim that after meeting girls through the chatbot, users shared the geolocation of planned meeting places before moving conversations to other messaging platforms. They were then allegedly contacted by individuals posing as Russian law enforcement officers, who told them they had unknowingly acted in the interests of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Under threats of criminal prosecution, the young people were allegedly pressured into committing various crimes.
Russia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs also reported that since the beginning of 2026, more than 24,000 cases of remote financial theft involving Telegram have been registered. These figures are also cited as one of the reasons supporting the investigation into the messenger’s founder.
Pavel Durov has not publicly commented on the charges. However, shortly after the FSB published its press release, users noticed that he temporarily changed his Telegram profile picture to a meme depicting himself as an armed militant. The image was removed shortly afterward. Meanwhile, Telegram’s official account on X posted an archived photograph of Durov showing his middle finger, which many users interpreted as an ironic response to the situation.
At the time of publication, Telegram had not issued an official statement regarding the criminal case, Durov’s placement on the international wanted list, or his inclusion in Rosfinmonitoring’s register.
It is important to note that the information above reflects the position and official statements of the Russian authorities. Pavel Durov has not publicly admitted the allegations against him, and there is currently no independent court ruling confirming their validity.
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