Russia Designates Telegram Founder Pavel Durov As A 'Terrorist'

Russia said it had designated Telegram founder Pavel Durov a "terrorist" and "extremist," further tightening the screws on the popular messenger app ahead of parliamentary elections in September.

Durov, who holds French and UAE passports, reacted to the announcement that he was being placed on the official "terrorist" list with defiant photos and videos on Telegram and other social media apps. One posted to X said "freedom of expression" and showed Durov dancing.

The designation, announced on July 29 by Russia's main domestic intelligence agency, known as the FSB, stems from what authorities said was the app's wide use by Ukrainian intelligence services.

The label puts Durov in the same legal category as Aleksei Navalny, the late anti-corruption lawyer who built a sizable political following challenging the Russian ruling lawmakers and the Kremlin before dying in a Russian prison.

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Authorities said the designation would not apply to Telegram itself, which has come under pressure from government regulators and security services in recent years as part of a wider campaign to try and control what Russians read and watch online.

Along with WhatsApp, Telegram is the most popular digital tool used by Russians to communicate, share news, and run businesses, among other things. WhatsApp has been throttled by regulators, slowed down, and widely blocked.

Russia's own intelligence services are also believed to use Telegram for things like recruiting unwitting saboteurs in Europe and elsewhere. And Russian war bloggers use the platform to trumpet Russian military operations in Ukraine as well as raise money for Russian units.

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Russian security services have sought to pressure Durov into giving them access to the app's underlying security infrastructure, but Telegram has resisted.

Officials have also built what they hope will be an alternative app, known as Messenger Max. Over the past year, government authorities, including President Vladimir Putin, have sought to coerce Russians to switch, but many have resisted.

The internal fight over squeezing Telegram has partially spilled into public view.

The online news site The Bell and others have reported that the FSB has led the efforts to tighten control over Telegram and the wider Internet.

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But the attempt has reportedly gotten pushback from the Kremlin's main political department overseeing things such as elections, including the September vote for the lower house of parliament. Telegram remains a key tool for mobilizing voter turnout and political messaging for ruling party officials in Russia's regions.

Durov, who also fled Russian in 2014 after being forced to sell to Russia's equivalent to Facebook to a Kremlin-connected businessman, has faced legal threats in Europe as well. In 2024, French authorities alleged he had failed to moderate extremist content on Telegram and filed criminal charges against him.

He was later put under house arrest, but travel restrictions were later lifted.

Durov has also criticized European tech regulators, accusing them of trying to stifle free expression with burdensome regulations.