Telegram founder Pavel Durov placed on international wanted list

Telegram founder Pavel Durov has once again found himself at the center of a major international scandal. On July 29, Russian law enforcement agencies announced that Durov had been charged in absentia under an article concerning assistance to terrorist activities and had also been placed on an international wanted list. According to investigators, Telegram’s administration failed to remove channels, chats and bots that were allegedly used to prepare acts of sabotage, terrorist attacks and other crimes in Russia. The entrepreneur could face life imprisonment.

What are the investigators’ claims?

According to statements by Russian security agencies, the claims against Durov are not related to the publication of any materials of his own, but to the fact that Telegram’s administration allegedly failed to remove resources used to recruit people, coordinate acts of sabotage, prepare terrorist attacks and commit cybercrimes. Investigators are treating this circumstance as possible assistance to terrorist activities.

This position continues the line of accusations that Russian authorities have been making against Telegram for several years, claiming that the platform does not cooperate sufficiently with government agencies on removing prohibited content.

Telegram’s reaction

Almost immediately after reports emerged that charges had been brought, Telegram’s official social media account published an archival photograph of Pavel Durov showing him raising his middle finger.

The company did not accompany the post with an official statement or comments, but users interpreted it as a symbolic reaction to the actions of the Russian authorities. At the time of publication, Durov himself had not issued any detailed official comments regarding the new charges.

Why “Daivinchik” is being discussed

Additional discussion was prompted by the mention in the investigative materials of the popular dating chatbot “Daivinchik.” According to the FSB, perpetrators may have used the service to establish contact with young people and subsequently recruit them.

Users, however, drew attention to several circumstances. First, “Daivinchik” continues to operate on other platforms as well, rather than only on Telegram. Second, users believe that the screenshot of a conversation circulating online, which was presented as an illustration of the alleged recruitment, was taken not in Telegram but on the social network VKontakte. These observations are being actively discussed online, but by themselves they neither confirm nor refute the investigative materials and do not constitute evidence in the criminal case.

What happens next

At this point, the matter concerns the charges brought against Pavel Durov and his placement on an international wanted list. A trial on the merits has not yet taken place, and a final legal assessment of the charges can be given only after the case is considered in court.

Despite the high-profile statements about a possible life sentence, most lawyers point out that such a measure is merely the upper limit of the sanction provided for by the article and does not at all mean that such a punishment will be imposed if the case ever reaches the stage of a verdict. At this stage, developments remain the subject of close attention from both the legal community and the global IT industry.