The owner of the Telegram messenger Pavel Durov, who now lives in France, has been charged in Russia with "complicity in terrorism." At the same time, he has long been under strict judicial control, which prohibits him from leaving the country without the permission of the authorities, writes French Le Figaro.
On Wednesday, July 29, Russia announced the issuance of an international arrest warrant for the founder and head of Telegram Pavel Durov, a native of Russia who also has French and UAE citizenship. He is charged with complicity in "terrorism."
"An international arrest warrant has been issued against the head of Telegram Pavel Durov," the Russian special services (FSB) reported.
Durov, who is in France, is accused by Russia of "complicity in terrorism" as part of a criminal investigation. The statement clarifies that the case concerns the preparation by the Ukrainian special services of young Russians for sabotage activities.
Telegram reacted immediately by posting a provocative post on the social network X — a photo of Pavel Durov showing his middle finger to the lens.
After a high-profile detention when leaving the plane in August 2024, Pavel Durov, who received French citizenship in 2021, was brought to court on a number of charges related to organized crime: French justice accuses him of not knowingly opposing the distribution of illegal content in Telegram.
He is under strict judicial supervision, which prohibits him from leaving France without the permission of the authorities. The FSB accuses his Telegram messenger of not deleting a popular dating bot, which, according to Moscow, was used by Ukrainian special services to involve young Russians in terrorist and sabotage activities.
According to the report, since July 2025, 46 Russian citizens aged 12 to 22 have been detained in various regions of Russia using the Leo Match Bot banned in Russia. They are charged with attacks on law enforcement officers and sabotage of energy and transport infrastructure facilities. According to the FSB, all of them were recruited through this bot by agents of the Ukrainian special services. They posed as girls, entered the trust, and then began to blackmail and force young people to attack police officers and set fire to infrastructure facilities.
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