According to a report by Russian News Agency on July 29, the Federal Security Service of Russia announced that Pavel Durov, the founder of the messaging app Telegram, who was criminally charged for 'assisting in terrorist activities', has been placed on the international wanted list.
File photo: Pavel Durov, Russian News Agency
The Russian Federal Security Service stated that the operator of the 'Telegram' messaging software failed to delete the channels, chat groups, and bots used by Ukrainian intelligence agencies to plan activities such as sabotage, terrorist attacks, mass killings, and cyber fraud within Russia. These activities have caused significant casualties, including women and children, and resulted in billions of rubles in economic losses.
The Russian Federal Security Service stated in its statement that Pavel Droloff, the main person responsible for the 'telegram', has been charged with violating Article 205.1.1 of the Russian Federal Criminal Code (assistance to terrorist activities), and is therefore listed on the international wanted list.
Pavel Durov was born in Leningrad, Soviet Union in 1984. He claims to have four nationalities: Russian, Saint Kitts and Nevis, United Arab Emirates, and France. He is the founder of the most popular social media platform in Russia, VKontakte (VK).
In 2013, Durrov founded the instant messaging software ‘Telegram’ in the UAE. During the Russo-Ukraine conflict, many government agencies, military units, civilian organizations, and individuals used this software to disseminate relevant information.
Around 8 p.m. on August 24, 2024, Durov arrived at the airport in Le Bourget, France, on a special flight from Azerbaijan. He was subsequently arrested by local law enforcement agencies. The French authorities stated that he was investigated for suspected involvement in illegal online activities such as "drug trafficking, child pornography, and fraud."
At that time, Vyacheslav Volodin, chairman of the Russian State Duma, said that the United States tried to control the "telegrams" through France. "Telegram is one of the few internet platforms that the United States cannot influence. On the eve of the presidential elections in the United States, controlling Telegram is very important for Biden."
The then Vice Chairman of the Russian State Duma, Dankevov, also believed that Drouf's arrest was clearly politically motivated. He could potentially become a 'tool' for Western countries to spy on the personal information of Telegram users.
In March 2025, Durow only left France for Dubai with the permission of the court.
On February 24 this year, Russia filed a criminal charge against Durov under Article 205.1, Paragraph 1.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.
