Russia’s Federal Security Service has charged Telegram founder Pavel Durov with assisting terrorist activity and placed him on an international wanted list, according to Interfax and Reuters, escalating Moscow’s long-running confrontation with the messaging platform used by more than 1 billion people worldwide.
The case alleges that Telegram failed to remove channels, group chats and automated bots that Russian authorities say were used to organize attacks and other crimes inside the country. The FSB filed the charge under a provision of Russia’s Criminal Code covering assistance to terrorist activity, Interfax reported. Reuters reported that an international arrest warrant was issued for Durov.
The allegations put fresh legal pressure on Telegram while the company expands further into digital assets through The Open Network ecosystem. Telegram’s vast distribution has made the app a crucial communications layer for crypto communities, token launches and wallet services, while its scale has also turned content moderation into a central point of dispute with governments.
Russian authorities cite sabotage and cyber-fraud allegations
The FSB said Ukrainian special services, along with terrorist and extremist organizations, had used Telegram’s tools to coordinate sabotage, terrorist acts, mass killings and cyber fraud within Russia, according to Interfax. Authorities alleged that the relevant material and accounts remained available despite demands for their removal.
Russian authorities have repeatedly accused foreign-owned technology platforms of failing to comply with domestic content-removal rules. Telegram has occupied a particularly difficult position in that campaign: it is one of the country’s most widely used messaging services, but its encrypted-chat features, large public channels and cross-border user base limit Moscow’s ability to exert the level of control it seeks over domestic communications.
The case also comes amid the Russia-Ukraine war, in which Telegram channels have become an operationally important source of battlefield reporting, official statements, fundraising and propaganda for both Russian and Ukrainian audiences. That usage gives platform restrictions consequences beyond ordinary social-media moderation, especially when authorities classify communications as linked to security threats.
Interfax reported that Telegram has been fined more than 100 million rubles, or about $1.3 million, this year for failing to remove content prohibited under Russian law. Russia has also continued to restrict aspects of Telegram’s operations while promoting MAX, a state-backed messaging service.
Durov already faces legal scrutiny in France
Durov, who holds Emirati and French citizenship, has separately faced a criminal investigation in France. French authorities arrested him in 2024 over allegations related to criminal activity conducted through Telegram and the company’s cooperation with law-enforcement requests.
French authorities later allowed Durov to travel to Dubai in June 2025 for a second time under temporary travel restrictions, according to the material provided. The French matter and the Russian case arise from different legal systems and allegations, but together they leave Telegram’s founder facing scrutiny from governments with sharply different relationships to the platform.
The Russian warrant would add complexity to Durov’s international travel and legal planning if enforced through cooperating jurisdictions. An international wanted notice does not automatically produce an arrest in every country, since extradition decisions depend on local law, diplomatic relations and the underlying charges.
For Telegram itself, the immediate operational effects are unclear. The company has previously shown willingness to make certain moderation and law-enforcement cooperation changes, while continuing to present privacy and user protection as core elements of its service. Russia’s latest accusations increase the pressure on that balance, particularly as authorities seek faster and broader access to online communications.
Crypto ambitions add another layer to the dispute
Telegram’s legal challenges arrive as the platform pursues deeper integration with blockchain-based services. The supplied report said Telegram was preparing a native, non-custodial GRAM wallet for its roughly 1 billion users following a June rebrand of The Open Network’s token from Toncoin to GRAM.
A non-custodial wallet would allow users to hold and transact with digital assets while retaining control of their own private keys, rather than entrusting the assets to a centralized service. Bringing such a wallet into a messaging app with Telegram’s reach could connect everyday chats, creator payments and peer-to-peer transfers in a single interface.
That prospect has drawn attention because messaging platforms can distribute financial tools much faster than standalone crypto applications. Yet it also raises compliance questions around fraud prevention, sanctions screening and the use of wallets in jurisdictions where authorities impose strict controls on payments and cross-border transfers.
The FSB’s case is centered on alleged terrorist activity and prohibited content, rather than Telegram’s crypto products. Claims that the prosecution is primarily designed to control the platform’s internal payment systems are not supported by the stated allegations. The digital-asset angle nonetheless places Telegram under additional regulatory pressure because financial features can increase the consequences of platform restrictions, app-store actions or country-level access blocks.
Token exposure remains tied to platform risk
The material provided said the network-linked token traded at $1.41 on Wednesday after falling from a June 2024 peak of $8.28. Such price movements can reflect wider crypto-market conditions, token supply changes, ecosystem demand and regulatory headlines; they cannot be assigned to a single legal development without supporting market evidence.
The more immediate issue for token holders is that Telegram-related assets remain exposed to risks beyond blockchain performance. Regulatory action against the messaging platform could affect wallet distribution, user access, developer activity and public perception, even where a blockchain network operates independently from Telegram’s corporate structure.
Durov’s new Russian case therefore adds another legal front to a company already navigating pressure in Europe and Russia. Whether it changes Telegram’s moderation policies, access in Russia or plans for wallet integration will depend on actions by the company and the authorities, rather than the warrant alone.
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