Russia Issues Wanted Notice for Telegram's Pavel Durov

WHO:

ABC News - Pavel Durov, founder of the messaging app Telegram, is the individual charged.

Cointelegraph - Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) is the agency issuing the charges.

WHAT:

ABC News - Durov has been charged with “aiding terrorism” and placed on an international wanted list.

Cointelegraph - An international arrest warrant has been issued for Durov.

WHERE:

ABC News - The charges and wanted notice are issued in Russia.

WHY:

ABC News - The FSB claims that Telegram has not removed “numerous channels, chats and bots” used by Ukrainian intelligence agencies and terrorist organizations for acts of sabotage and terrorism.

ABC News - Durov has accused Russian authorities of fabricating pretexts to restrict access to Telegram, aiming to suppress privacy and free speech.

HOW:

ABC News - The FSB's statement indicates that the agency is taking action against Telegram due to its alleged role in facilitating terrorism-related communications.

(UPDATED July 29, 2026 07:56 UTC)

Pavel Durov, the founder of the messaging app Telegram, has been charged with aiding terrorism by Russia’s Federal Security Service, which has also placed him on an international wanted list. The FSB claims that Telegram has failed to remove numerous channels and chats used by Ukrainian intelligence and terrorist organizations, while Durov argues that these charges are a pretext by Russian authorities to limit privacy and free speech. An international arrest warrant has now been issued for Durov, as the FSB takes action against Telegram for its alleged role in facilitating terrorism-related communications.