Moscow accuses the founder of the messaging service of being complicit in terrorism in connection with acts of sabotage attributed to Ukrainian services.
Russia announced on Wednesday July 29 that it had issued an international wanted notice against the founder and boss of Telegram, Pavel Durov, whom it accuses of complicity in “terrorism”. “An international wanted notice has been issued,” the Russian security services (FSB) said in a statement.
Accusations of complicity in terrorism
Pavel Durov, who is in France, is targeted in Russia by accusations of “complicity in terrorism”, “as part of a criminal investigation” into the training of young Russians by Ukrainian special services for sabotage activities, specifies the FSB press release. The FSB accuses its Telegram messenger of not having removed a popular dating robot used, according to Moscow, by the Ukrainian special services to train young Russians “in terrorist and sabotage activities”.
According to the press release, 46 Russian citizens aged between 12 and 22, who used Leo Match Bot, banned in Russia, have been arrested since July 2025 in different Russian regions for assaulting members of law enforcement and acts of sabotage against energy and transport infrastructure. They were all contacted on this bot by agents of the Ukrainian special services who posed as young girls in order to then put pressure on them and make them attack police officers and burn down infrastructure sites, assures the FSB.
After a spectacular arrest when he got off the plane in August 2024, Pavel Dourov, naturalized French in 2021, was indicted two years ago in France for a series of offenses relating to organized crime, with French justice generally accusing him of not acting against the dissemination of criminal content on his messaging service. In November 2025, French justice lifted the measures which prohibited him from traveling abroad and required him to report to the police station.
Born in Russia, Pavel Dourov holds French and Emirati passports.
Telegram immediately reacted with a post that was provocative to say the least on its X account, publishing a photo of Pavel Durov giving the finger towards the camera.
Russia, which has been leading a large-scale offensive in Ukraine since February 2022, has been facing unprecedented digital restrictions for months, notably restricting access to Telegram and another Western messaging service, WhatsApp, both accused of being used by Ukrainian services against the country’s security.
