Criminal proceedings have been opened in Russia against Pavel Durov for aiding terrorism
Russian state media reported the opening of criminal proceedings against Telegram founder Pavel Durov for an article about aiding terrorism activities.
According to their claims, the messenger is allegedly used to prepare crimes, including terrorist attacks, and the Telegram administration does not respond to requests from Russian law enforcement agencies. At the same time, no specific case materials or procedural documents have been made public.
It is reported that the charges are also linked to Durov’s public statements about slowing down Telegram in Russia and promoting the state-owned messenger Max. In state media publications, his comments are interpreted as having an impact on socio-political stability.
High-profile terrorist attacks and political assassinations, in which the messenger was allegedly used, are also mentioned as arguments, but no evidence of the company’s involvement in these events is provided.
In addition, the materials repeat the thesis about Telegram’s selective cooperation with various countries, in particular, it is claimed that requests from Russian authorities remain unanswered. In early February, Russia began to significantly restrict the work of the messenger.
In 2024, Pavel Durov was detained in France on suspicion of financial offenses and illegal activities on the platform. After that, he declared his readiness to cooperate with law enforcement agencies of various states within the framework of current legislation.
