Kremlin targets Telegram founder Pavel Durov with terrorism charges

WEB DESK: The Russian government has opened a criminal investigation into Pavel Durov, the billionaire founder of Telegram, accusing him of “facilitating terrorist activity”. The move is widely viewed as the Kremlin’s final legal salvo before a potential state ban on the messaging platform, which serves as a crucial communication lifeline for millions of Russians including members of the country’s own military.

According to the New York Times, on Tuesday, 24 February 2026, Russian state media, citing materials from the Federal Security Service (FSB), reported that Durov is being investigated under Article 205.1 of the Criminal Code. The allegations claim that Telegram has become a primary tool for so-called “hybrid threats” orchestrated by NATO and Ukraine, facilitating activities ranging from the 2024 Crocus City Hall attack to the assassinations of senior military officials.

Responding from abroad, the 41-year-old technology entrepreneur who holds French and Emirati citizenship dismissed the charges as a transparent attempt to silence dissent. “Each day, the authorities fabricate new pretexts to restrict Russians’ access to Telegram as they seek to suppress the right to privacy and free speech,” Durov wrote. “A sad spectacle of a state afraid of its own people.”

Analysts suggest the timing of the charges is closely linked to the Kremlin’s ambition to steer users towards MAX, a state-sanctioned “super-app”. Unlike Telegram’s encrypted environment, MAX is reportedly designed to facilitate centralised oversight, granting authorities direct access to user data and communications.

Pressure on Telegram has already intensified. The Russian communications regulator, Roskomnadzor, is said to have throttled Telegram traffic by 55 per cent as part of what officials describe as “traffic degradation” measures. Meanwhile, pro-Kremlin military bloggers often referred to as “Z-bloggers” have voiced concern over the move, noting that Russian forces in Ukraine rely heavily on Telegram channels for frontline coordination.

The FSB further claims that more than 150,000 requests to remove content were ignored by the platform. With regulators reportedly testing technical mechanisms for a full restriction, an outright block is expected by 1 April 2026. Such a step would follow previous bans on other Western-linked platforms, including WhatsApp, Signal and FaceTime, as Moscow continues its efforts to construct a so-called “sovereign internet” insulated from external influence.

Durov, who left Russia in 2014 after refusing to hand over user data from his previous venture, VKontakte, now faces the prospect of a 15-year prison sentence in absentia. Despite earlier legal challenges in France, he remains a prominent figure associated with digital resistance to the Kremlin’s tightening grip on online expression.