Pavel Durov charged with terrorism amid FSB crackdown in Russia

Russia’s Federal Security Service has charged Telegram founder Pavel Durov with aiding terrorist activity, a move that carries the possibility of life imprisonment and marks a dramatic escalation in Moscow’s campaign against the encrypted messaging platform. The FSB invoked Article 205.1 of the Russian Criminal Code on July 29, accusing Telegram of serving as a conduit for Ukrainian intelligence agencies and extremist organizations to coordinate acts of sabotage, terrorism, and cyber fraud inside Russia. The agency also issued an international arrest warrant for Durov, who holds dual French and Emirati citizenship and has lived outside Russia for years. From criminal probe to terrorist designation in five months Russia opened a criminal investigation against Durov in February, accusing him of targeting free speech and privacy. The FSB cited specific examples in its case, including a dating chatbot allegedly used to recruit individuals for sabotage and terrorist operations. One day after the charges landed, Rosfinmonitoring, Russia’s financial monitoring agency, added Durov to the country’s official list of terrorists and extremists. That designation effectively freezes any assets h...