July 30, 2026 — 6:35am
Pavel Durov, the billionaire founder and CEO of the Telegram messaging app, has repeatedly run into trouble with both the Kremlin and Western officials as he cast himself as a champion of free speech.
Now, Russia’s Federal Security Service, or FSB, has accused him of aiding what it called terrorist activities. It also said it was adding Durov’s name to international wanted lists.
The Russian-born Durov, 41, responded to the charges by posting an image of himself raising a middle finger on Telegram’s official account on X. He has denounced previous Kremlin attempts to restrict Telegram as an attack on freedom of expression.
The case marks an escalation of the Kremlin’s efforts to tighten control over the internet and digital communications as it prepares for parliamentary elections in September amid rising public fatigue with the war in Ukraine and its growing economic fallout.
