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Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said it has charged Telegram founder Pavel Durov in absentia with aiding terrorist activity and placed him on an international wanted list. Authorities allege Telegram failed to remove prohibited channels, chats, and bots that were used by Ukrainian special services, as well as terrorist and extremist groups, to coordinate sabotage, terrorism, cyber-fraud, and recruitment operations inside Russia. The case adds to Moscow's broader pressure campaign against Telegram, including large-scale takedown demands and service restrictions.
Russian investigators also tied the case to the Telegram dating bot Daivinchik/Leo, which they claim was used in social-engineering schemes in which operatives posing as young women lured, phished, intimidated, and coerced young Russians into criminal acts such as arson, attacks on law enforcement, and handling fraud proceeds. The FSB said 46 Russian citizens aged 12 to 22 were detained from July 2025 onward in connection with the alleged recruitment network. Durov and Telegram have denied wrongdoing, with Durov previously arguing the case is a pretext to curb Russians' access to Telegram and suppress privacy and free speech.
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Russia's financial monitoring agency Rosfinmonitoring added Telegram founder Pavel Durov to its registry of individuals and organizations linked to extremism or terrorism. The designation freezes funds, securities, and other property under Russian jurisdiction and subjects transactions involving him to mandatory monitoring, with limited legal exceptions.
After the charges were announced, Telegram responded defiantly on X, while Pavel Durov denied wrongdoing and maintained that Telegram fulfills its moderation and cooperation obligations. The response framed the case as politically motivated pressure on the platform.
Russia's FSB announced criminal charges in absentia against Telegram founder Pavel Durov for allegedly aiding terrorist activity and failing to remove prohibited information. Authorities said he would be placed on an international wanted list over Telegram's alleged use by Ukrainian intelligence services, terrorist groups, and extremist organizations.
The Hacker News reports that Russia imposed broader restrictions on Telegram, including throttling and a near-complete blockade, in April 2026. This was presented as part of the wider pressure campaign surrounding the platform.
Russian authorities said the case against Telegram and Pavel Durov grew out of an investigation opened in February 2026 into alleged Telegram channels, group chats, and bots used for sabotage operations inside Russia. The FSB claimed Telegram ignored repeated lawful takedown requests tied to content allegedly linked to Ukrainian intelligence services and extremist actors.
According to the FSB, Russian authorities detained 46 citizens aged 12 to 22 in cases linked to the Daivinchik/Leo Telegram bot recruitment scheme beginning in July 2025. The detentions were described as part of joint operations involving multiple Russian agencies.
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Russian authorities escalated restrictions on **WhatsApp** and **Telegram**, using network-level controls to disrupt access and steer users toward the Kremlin-promoted *MAX* messaging app. WhatsApp said Russia attempted to fully block the service, warning that isolating more than **100 million** users from “private and secure communication” would reduce safety. Reporting indicated Roskomnadzor removed `whatsapp.com` and `web.whatsapp.com` from Russia’s **National Domain Name System**, effectively breaking domestic DNS resolution so the service becomes largely reachable only via **VPNs** or non-domestic resolvers; digital rights monitors also reported other major services being removed from the national domain registry. Telegram also faced deliberate degradation: Roskomnadzor confirmed it “slowed down” the app, citing noncompliance with Russian law, amid widespread user-reported disruptions across multiple regions. State media reported Moscow courts opened multiple cases against Telegram in early 2026 for allegedly failing to remove content authorities label “extremist” or pornographic, with reported fines exceeding **$820,000**. Kremlin spokesperson **Dmitry Peskov** publicly tied restoration of access to compliance with Russian legislation, while Telegram founder **Pavel Durov** characterized the measures as authoritarian and aimed at forcing adoption of *MAX*, which he described as built for surveillance and censorship; Russia has a history of attempting to block Telegram, including a 2018 ban later lifted in 2020.
Jun 29, 2026
U.S. prosecutors unsealed an indictment accusing a Russian intelligence-linked **RIS Network** of directing surveillance, assassination, and sabotage operations across Europe and the United States. The alleged network recruited operatives to target Russian dissidents, offered payments for attacks on NATO-related electrical infrastructure in countries supporting Ukraine, and was linked to an attempted June 2024 arson attack on a Prague bus depot and a planned September 2024 attack in Lithuania. Five defendants—including former Russian intelligence colonel Yuri Khrameev, FSB officer Kirill Khrameev, and logistics coordinator Oemis Romagoza Durruthy—remain at large on U.S. terrorism-financing charges. Separately, reporting indicates Russia-linked actors have approached participants in **“The Com,”** a largely Western online ecosystem containing violence-for-hire and cybercriminal subcommunities, to recruit young people as disposable agents for sabotage missions. Recruitment reportedly occurs through online platforms including Telegram and forms part of a broader hybrid campaign intended to weaken European backing for Ukraine; at least two UK attacks have reportedly been tied to Russia-linked actors. The reporting found no indication that Russian intelligence has recruited the distinct **Hacker Com** segment, despite activity in overlapping online spaces.
Sep 17, 2026
Russia's telecommunications regulator, Roskomnadzor, has blocked access to the Roblox online gaming platform, citing the platform's alleged failure to prevent the distribution of LGBT-related content, extremist materials, and facilitation of violent or illegal activities. The regulator claims that Roblox's moderation team was unable to adequately restrict such content, leading to the decision to restrict access. This move follows a pattern of increasing regulatory actions against foreign digital services in Russia, including previous bans on messaging apps like Viber and Signal for similar reasons. In parallel, Roskomnadzor has issued warnings and imposed tighter restrictions on WhatsApp, threatening a potential total ban due to the platform's alleged non-compliance with new information-sharing requirements related to terrorism and fraud investigations. Russian authorities accuse WhatsApp of being used to organize and facilitate terrorist activities and other crimes, and are encouraging users to transition to government-backed alternatives such as the MAX messaging app. These actions reflect Russia's broader efforts to control digital communications and limit the influence of foreign technology platforms within its borders.
Jun 29, 2026