Russia Probes Telegram CEO Durov for Terror Facilitation

Russian authorities have launched a criminal investigation into Pavel Durov, the founder and chief executive of the messaging app Telegram, on allegations that he facilitated terrorist activities, marking a sharp escalation in the government's long-standing efforts to curb the platform's operations within the country.

The probe, initiated by the Federal Security Service, or FSB, examines whether Telegram has been used to coordinate attacks and other crimes, according to materials cited in state media reports. Investigators are focusing on incidents including the 2024 attack on the Crocus City Hall concert venue near Moscow, the killing of Darya Dugina, daughter of nationalist philosopher Aleksandr Dugin, and the death of General Igor Kirillov, head of Russia's chemical weapons unit. The FSB has linked the app to more than 153,000 criminal cases since 2022, with about 33,000 involving sabotage, terrorism, or extremism. Officials also accuse Durov of failing to comply with over 150,000 requests from the state media regulator, Roskomnadzor, to remove illegal content, such as channels promoting extremism, false information, and drug-related material.