- Russia charges Telegram founder Pavel Durov with aiding terrorism, prompting him to give Moscow the finger.
- Durov denies wrongdoing, stating that Telegram has exceeded its obligations to moderate content and cooperate with authorities.
- In April, Durov posted that a summons for 'Suspect P.V. Durov' had been delivered to an apartment in Russia where he lived 20 years ago.
- The FSB stated that a chatbot called 'Daivinchik/Leo' was used by Ukrainian special services to recruit young Russians for terrorist operations.
- 46 Russians aged 12 to 22 were arrested in the past year after being recruited to carry out attacks on law enforcement or infrastructure.
Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) has charged Telegram founder Pavel Durov with facilitating terrorist activity, alleging that his messaging app was exploited by Ukrainian spies to orchestrate attacks within Russia. The FSB claims a chatbot named 'Daivinchik/Leo' was used to recruit young Russians for sabotage operations.45
The FSB reported that 46 Russians aged 12 to 22 were arrested over the past year for being recruited to attack law enforcement or to target critical infrastructure. Durov, who is currently based in Dubai, has denied any wrongdoing, asserting that Telegram has gone above and beyond in moderating content and cooperating with authorities to combat crime.
In a bold response to the charges, Telegram's official account on X shared an image of Durov making an obscene gesture, symbolizing his defiance against the accusations. The FSB has placed Durov on an international wanted list, although it did not clarify the mechanisms for this action. Durov previously noted that a summons for 'Suspect P.V. Durov' was delivered to an apartment in Russia where he lived two decades ago, indicating the long-standing scrutiny he has faced from Russian authorities.3
“The FSB claims a Telegram chatbot was used by Ukrainian special services to recruit 46 young Russians for terrorist operations over the past year. Durov, who stated that Telegram has exceeded its obligations to moderate content, previously revealed that a summons for him was delivered to an old apartment in Russia.”
