Russian authorities have launched a criminal investigation into Telegram founder Pavel Durov, alleging that the popular messaging app has been used to facilitate terrorist activities, signaling a possible ban on the platform in Russia, according to a detailed report by the Washington Post. State-linked newspapers Rossiyskaya Gazeta and Komsomolskaya Pravda published articles claiming, based on FSB materials, that Telegram has become a primary tool for foreign intelligence services and Ukraine, aiding in sabotage, terrorist attacks, and other extremist activities since the start of the war in Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said authorities have documented “a large number of violations” by the app and criticized Telegram management for “unwillingness to cooperate.” Andrey Svintsov, a parliamentary committee member on information policy, warned that if Telegram fails to cooperate within a month, it could be classified as an “extremist organization,” effectively banning it under Russian law.
The investigation is part of a broader push by Moscow to move users away from foreign messaging apps like Telegram and WhatsApp and toward Max, a domestic platform designed to centralize communications and reportedly resemble China’s WeChat in its surveillance capabilities. Internet freedom advocates have warned that Max would significantly increase state control over private communications.
Telegram, founded in 2013 as a privacy-focused alternative to state-controlled platforms, has long been a target for Russian authorities. Durov left Russia in 2014 after the Kremlin pressured him to sell his stake in VK, Russia’s largest social network. He now holds French and Emirati citizenships. Durov was also arrested in France in 2024 over allegations of insufficient content moderation, a case that is still pending.
The Washington Post notes that Telegram has remained deeply embedded in Russian daily life, including among troops in Ukraine, with military bloggers describing it as “almost the only means of communication in active troops” and a “field headquarters in one’s pocket.” Russian media claimed Telegram was involved in the deaths of nine generals and more than 33,000 incidents including bombings and arson since 2022, while Roskomnadzor reportedly sent over 150,000 requests to remove content that were ignored.
This crackdown comes as Russia throttled Telegram’s traffic in early February, citing the app’s refusal to store user data domestically or remove content deemed illegal. WhatsApp has also been blocked, along with other services including Signal, Viber, Discord, and FaceTime, while authorities increasingly restrict VPNs to force citizens onto state-run platforms. Despite prior attempts to ban Telegram in 2018, users circumvented restrictions using proxies and other tools, keeping the service widely accessible until the ban was lifted in 2020.
In response to the recent throttling, Durov said Russia is attempting to push its citizens onto a government-controlled app built for “surveillance and political censorship,” and WhatsApp condemned the bans as a threat to safe and private communication for over 100 million users in Russia.
