Russia's FSB seeks international arrest of Telegram founder Durov on terrorism charges

Published Jul 29, 10:49 AM UTC

Russia's FSB security service announced on Wednesday that it is seeking the international arrest of Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov, accusing him of complicity in terrorism. The FSB alleges that Telegram has been used as a recruitment platform by Ukraine's security services to coerce Russians into committing sabotage acts, and that Durov failed to remove prohibited information. Durov, a Russian-born tech entrepreneur who holds French and UAE passports and lives in France, has long clashed with Russian authorities over internet control. Telegram is one of Russia's most popular communication platforms, and Moscow has repeatedly attempted to block or pressure the service to hand over user data. Durov previously faced similar pressure when he was forced out of VKontakte, the social media site he founded. The announcement comes amid an ongoing information war between Russia and Ukraine, with both sides accusing each other of using social media for recruitment. Durov has not commented on the latest allegations.