Russia Indicts Telegram Founder Pavel Durov on Terrorism Charges
The Russian FSB has formally indicted Telegram's founder and CEO Pavel Durov for complicity in terrorism. The indictment comes after a preliminary investigation that began in February 2026, with Durov facing up to 15 years in prison under Article 205.1 of the Russian Criminal Code.
The charges against Durov are related to Telegram's alleged refusal to delete discussion channels and bots used by Ukrainian intelligence services to coordinate terrorist attacks and sabotage in Russia. The FSB claims that these tools were used to recruit 46 Russians aged 12 to 22, who were then arrested for planning attacks on state infrastructure.
Durov is also subject to prosecution in France, where he was arrested and indicted in August 2024 for non-cooperation with justice, organized fraud, drug trafficking, and child pornography. He holds four passports, including Russian and French ones, which complicates his situation as the French case requires him to cooperate with Western investigators.
The indictment has sparked concerns about the future of Telegram's operations in Russia, with experts predicting three possible scenarios: a complete block on the platform, partial moderation with remote negotiations, or decentralization that would make the TON crypto ecosystem independent. The price of Toncoin (formerly GRAM) dropped by 3.50% in response to the news.