Russia puts Telegram founder Pavel Durov on wanted list

Pavel Durov, the Russian-born billionaire and founder of Telegram, has been placed on Russia’s international wanted list by the Federal Security Service (FSB). He is accused of aiding terrorism by failing to remove channels and bots used for illegal activity on the messaging app.

What is Durov accused of?

According to the FSB, Telegram’s administration failed to remove channels, chats and bots that Russian intelligence says were used by Ukrainian intelligence services to plan acts of sabotage, organize «mass killings,» and carry out cyber fraud within Russia.

The agency claims these channels were linked to human casualties, including women and children, and caused billions of dollars in damage.

What the FSB reported

In an official statement, the FSB said a criminal case had been opened against Durov under Part 1.1 of Article 205.1 of the Russian Criminal Code, which covers «aiding terrorist activity,» and that he is now being sought internationally.

As of publication, neither Durov nor Telegram representatives have publicly responded to the Russian authorities’ statement.