Russia has escalated its long-running fight with Telegram by placing founder and CEO Pavel Durov on an international wanted list, accusing him of “complicity in terrorism.”
Mr Durov, a Russian-born serial tech entrepreneur who has lived outside Russia for years and holds French and UAE passports, has repeatedly clashed with the authorities as Moscow tightened its grip on the online space.
Telegram, the messaging platform he created, is among the country’s most important channels for communication. Russian officials have repeatedly sought to block the service or curb its reach, moves widely seen as part of an effort to pressure Durov to hand over user data or to steer people toward an unencrypted, state-backed alternative.
The FSB security service said it had initiated international search proceedings for Durov, who also runs Telegram as CEO.
“An international wanted notice has been issued… for the head of the Telegram administration, P. Durov,” Russian security services (FSB) said in a statement.
Authorities did not specify what type of notice had been issued, and it remained unclear whether other countries or law enforcement bodies would recognize it or act on it.
Russia often levels accusations of “terrorism” or “extremism” against people it describes as political enemies.
In its latest allegations, Moscow claimed Telegram had served as a recruitment tool for Ukrainian security services seeking to coerce Russians into committing acts of sabotage, and said Mr Durov had failed to remove “prohibited information.”
Mr Durov, 41, is based in France and has also faced legal issues there linked to allegations about illegal content circulating on Telegram.
Born in Saint Petersburg — the hometown of Russian President Vladimir Putin — Mr Durov first built VKontakte, the social network widely dubbed “Russia’s Facebook.”
He was effectively forced out of VKontakte as the company came under mounting pressure from authorities in the mid-2010s, after which he went on to found Telegram.
Telegram rapidly grew into one of Russia’s most heavily used online services and withstood a years-long effort by Moscow’s internet regulators to block it domestically.
Mr Durov did not immediately respond to the FSB’s claims.
Meanwhile, the VKontakte social network — now state-controlled and rebranded as VK — has been promoting the government-backed messenger Max this year, urging Russians to move away from Telegram and WhatsApp.
Mr Durov has described that platform as “a state-controlled app built for surveillance and political censorship.”
