Russia has launched a criminal investigation against Telegram founder Pavel Durov for allegedly assisting terrorist activities

According to ForkLog, several Russian media outlets cited information from the country's Federal Security Service stating that Telegram founder Pavel Durov is under criminal investigation for allegedly assisting terrorist activities, in accordance with Article 205.1, Clause 1.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (assisting terrorist activities).

The investigation involves the dissemination of illegal content, with accusations that the platform's administrators ignored requests from the Russian communications regulator to delete banned channels and chats, and that Telegram has been used for criminal activities and for publishing materials from extremist and terrorist organizations.

The Russian communications regulator began restricting the service in the summer of 2025 due to an increase in fraudulent activities, and in February 2026, it intensified "traffic limiting" measures on the grounds that the platform was not complying with Russian laws. Durov responded at the time by stating that "Telegram defends freedom of speech and privacy."