Russia's security service charges Telegram founder with facilitating terrorism
The FSB said that the charges related to Telegram's failure to remove material "used by Ukrainian special services and by terrorist and extremist organisations to prepare and coordinate acts of sabotage and terrorism"
Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) has charged Telegram founder Pavel Durov with facilitating terrorist activities and has issued an international warrant for his arrest.
Listen to this article
The FSB said that the charges related to Telegram's failure to remove material "used by Ukrainian special services and by terrorist and extremist organisations to prepare and coordinate acts of sabotage and terrorism, mass killings, and cyber-fraud operations within the Russian Federation."
There was no immediate comment from Durov or Telegram.
Telegram, an encrypted messenger app founded in 2013, says it has more than 1 billion users, and is widely used on both sides of the Russia-Ukraine war.
Russia has repeatedly tried to restrict Telegram's use in recent years, promoting its own state-backed MAX messenger service.
Read more: Russian 'recruiter' using Telegram to lure foreign men into fighting on frontlines
Last month, Ukraine denied Russian claims that it had outsourced drone operations to international gamers after pro-Russian Telegram channels claimed FPV drones were being connected to virtual servers and flown by remote operators around the world.
One of the claims was originally shared on the loyalist Telegram channel Unofficial Bezsonov Z, before being circulated more widely on Russian military-linked channels.
In the post, it was claimed Russian forces had captured a Ukrainian prisoner who said just 16 Ukrainian UAV operators were fighting against a battalion in a ruined high-rise area.
According to the claim, the operators’ role was to place “a couple of hundred FPV drones”, connect them to a virtual server, and allow people “from any point in the world” to control them.
The post also claimed remote pilots were receiving instant payments for each target hit.
There is no evidence from the Telegram messages alone that such a remote-access drone network exists, and Russian wartime channels regularly carry a mixture of battlefield reporting, rumour and propaganda.
Durov, who was born in Russia but now holds Emirati and French passports, founded Russia's Facebook equivalent, VKontakte, before selling his remaining stake in 2014 amid pressure from Russian authorities.
French authorities are investigating Durov over allegations that Telegram failed to adequately counter criminal activity on the platform and did not sufficiently cooperate with law enforcement requests. Durov denies wrongdoing.
An LBC investigation uncovered how Telegram is being used by "Iranian intelligence" to recruit Brits to cause sabotage on the streets of London.
Our reporter was set a task to complete on the streets of London, seen by experts to have been the first in a “potentially dangerous relationship” being sought.
While speaking to a user on Telegram, who claimed to be linked to Iran’s Intelligence Service, the account told us to “print out a photo of Trump and Netanyahu, set it on fire in one of London’s famous streets, and send a video of it.”
They added in a separate message: “This is the first step in building trust, and I will pay for it.”
When asked what would happen afterwards, the user said: “After you send me the video, I will make the payment and title the second job.”
The exchange stemmed from a Telegram channel which was advertising “high-paid” work, while claiming to recruit on behalf of Iran’s intelligence service.
The account offered to enlist agents in what it describes as a “completely secure and professional environment with 24/7 monitoring and support”. In one post, written in both English and Hebrew, the channel states: “Iran's intelligence service is recruiting high-paid agents… If you are ready to take the next step, hit the start button and cooperate with us.”