Russian authorities have reportedly opened a criminal investigation into Pavel Durov, the co-founder and CEO of Telegram, according to state media.
The probe is linked to allegations that the messaging platform may have been used to facilitate terrorist-related activities, with Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) leading the case, state newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta reported.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that the investigation is based on materials gathered by the FSB as part of its official duties.
This comes against the backdrop of mounting regulatory pressures on Telegram in Russia, particularly in the wake of more stringent restrictions imposed by the country’s communications watchdog Roskomnadzor on messaging services earlier this month.
Telegram’s refusal to comply triggers government probe
The reported criminal probe appears to stem from Telegram’s continued refusal to comply with content removal requests issued by Russia’s media regulator Roskomnadzor.
Authorities claim the platform failed to delete nearly 155,000 channels, chats and bots allegedly linked to illegal or harmful material, according to state-aligned outlet Komsomolskaya Pravda.
Officials say the flagged content includes over 104,000 channels spreading false information, alongside thousands promoting extremism, justifying extremist activity, or linked to drug-related content.
Former presidential internet adviser German Klimenko warned that the investigation could result in Telegram being formally labeled an extremist organization.
Such a designation could have wide consequences, potentially criminalizing payments for Telegram Premium subscriptions and advertising activity on the platform within Russia.
Pavel responds to allegations
Pavel Durov has argued that growing regulatory pressure on Telegram is an attempt to push users toward MAX, a government-supported messaging app.
However, he added that similar initiatives in other nations, such as Iran, had not worked, as users still preferred using Telegram despite the restrictions.
Durov posted on February 10 that he supports the position taken by Telegram on privacy and freedom of speech, as restricting online freedom is not the answer.
The case in Russia is not the only legal issue that Durov faces outside of Russia, as he is still under investigation in France, where he was arrested in August 2024.