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Russia has opened an investigation into Telegram founder Pavel Durov for “abetting terrorist activities”, in the latest sign that his uneasy relationship with the Kremlin has broken down.
Two Russian newspapers, including the state-run Rossiiskaya Gazeta and Kremlin-friendly tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda, alleged on Tuesday that the messaging app had become a tool of western and Ukrainian intelligence services.
The articles, credited to materials from Russia’s FSB security service, accused Telegram of enabling attacks in Russia and said that Durov’s “actions . . . are under criminal investigation”. Russian authorities did not immediately comment on the reports.
Russia has restricted Telegram’s functions, accusing it of flouting the law and steering users towards Max, a state-run rival messenger. The steps escalate pressure on a platform that remains deeply embedded in Russian public life.
Durov left Russia in 2014 after saying the Kremlin forced him to sell his stake in VK, the country’s largest social network, and has since cast Telegram as a privacy-first alternative to state control. He subsequently gained French and Emirati citizenship.
Although Moscow tried and failed to block the app in 2018, it later reached an accommodation.
Telegram has become central to Russian public life and is used by 105mn monthly users in the country © Getty Images
Durov has also faced scrutiny in the west. French authorities placed him under formal investigation in 2024 over Telegram’s alleged failure to tackle criminal activity, accusations he denies.
The articles published on Tuesday accused Telegram of complying with orders from western governments while ignoring Russian requests, and said Ukraine had used the data for attacks on Russia.
They claimed Telegram had been used in 13 Ukrainian attempts to assassinate high-ranking Russian military officers, as well as a further 33,000 “bombings, arson attacks on recruitment centres, and murders” since the war began.
“Telegram has become the main instrument of Nato countries’ secret services and the ‘Kyiv regime.’ The platform has shied from nothing — intercepting location data, selling secret information and intimidating soldiers and their families,” Rossiiskaya Gazeta wrote.
“Digital platforms have ceased to be a neutral space. In the conditions of total hybrid warfare they are becoming strategic weapons,” it added.
Telegram and Durov did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Moscow’s moves against Telegram and its chief executive could usher in significant changes in Russia, where the Dubai-based app has more than 105mn monthly users.
Even after Russia banned most western social media platforms during the war in Ukraine, ministries publish official statements on Telegram, soldiers use it to co-ordinate actions on the front lines and President Vladimir Putin’s spokesperson speaks to the media via the app.
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Russia began throttling Telegram’s traffic earlier this month over what it said was its refusal to store user data in the country and censor content on demand.
Internet censors also blocked WhatsApp and degraded access to YouTube. Russia began limiting voice and video calls on Telegram and WhatsApp last year.
Following the latest moves, Durov accused Russia of “restricting access to Telegram to force its citizens onto a state-controlled app built for surveillance and political censorship”.
The attacks on Telegram have already attracted criticism among the Kremlin’s own supporters, including governors of regions on the Ukrainian border who use it to warn of incoming drone and missile attacks.
FSB director Alexander Bortnikov said last week that Russia had previously negotiated with Durov over Telegram and abandoned those efforts after it “did not lead to anything good”.
Bortnikov did not say what the talks were about or when they were, but accused Durov of “serving his own selfish interests” and enabling “a large number of violations of the law”.
