Russia issues international wanted notice for Telegram founder Pavel Durov

Moscow announced on Wednesday that it had issued an international wanted notice for Pavel Durov, the Russian‑born founder and chief executive of the messaging platform Telegram. The notice accuses Durov of “complicity in terrorism,” a charge that the Russian security services say stems from his failure to remove certain channels, chats and bots on the platform.

According to the authorities, these Telegram spaces were allegedly used by Ukrainian actors to recruit individuals for sabotage operations aimed at destabilising Russia. The Kremlin’s statement claims that Durov’s inaction enabled the spread of extremist content that could facilitate violent acts against Russian infrastructure and citizens.

The notice reflects the escalating tensions between Moscow and the tech entrepreneur, who has long been a vocal critic of Russian state censorship. It also underscores the broader conflict over information control that has intensified during the ongoing war in Ukraine.