In brief:
- Russia charged Telegram founder Pavel Durov with terrorism-related offenses while issuing an international wanted notice over moderation allegations.
- Russian authorities also fined Telegram over prohibited content while promoting the MAX messaging service amid broader regulatory pressure.
- Telegram expanded its blockchain strategy through a GRAM wallet launch, yet legal challenges overshadowed the initiative as Toncoin declined.
Russia has charged Telegram founder Pavel Durov with aiding terrorist activity, accusing the messaging platform of failing to remove content allegedly used to coordinate attacks inside the country. Authorities have also placed Durov on an international wanted list, significantly escalating their legal campaign against the company.
According to Russia’s Federal Security Service, investigators filed charges under the Russian Criminal Code for assistance in terrorist activity. Interfax reported that the case centers on Telegram’s alleged failure to remove channels, chats, and bots that authorities claim supported sabotage, terrorism, cyber fraud, and extremist activities within Russia. Reuters separately reported that Russian authorities issued an international warrant for Durov’s arrest.
Telegram serves more than one billion users worldwide and remains one of the most widely used messaging platforms. Moreover, the application has played a central role in communication during the Russia-Ukraine conflict, placing its moderation practices under growing government scrutiny.
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Russia Expands Legal Action Against Telegram
According to the FSB, Russian investigators believe Telegram failed to block digital communities allegedly operated by Ukrainian special services alongside terrorist and extremist organizations. Authorities claim those channels enabled users to coordinate sabotage operations, mass attacks, cyber fraud, and other criminal activities across Russia.
Besides the criminal charges, Moscow has steadily increased financial penalties against Telegram throughout the year. Interfax reported that Russian courts have imposed more than 100 million rubles, or approximately $1.3 million, in fines for the platform’s alleged failure to remove content prohibited under Russian law.
Additionally, Russian authorities have promoted the state-backed MAX messaging service while tightening restrictions on Telegram’s operations. Those measures reflect broader efforts to strengthen domestic digital platforms while increasing oversight of foreign technology companies operating within the country.
Meanwhile, Telegram and Durov had not publicly responded to the latest allegations when the reports emerged. The Block also sought comment from both Durov and the company regarding the new criminal proceedings.
Previous French Investigation and Telegram’s Crypto Expansion
The Russian case follows Durov’s ongoing legal challenges in France. French authorities arrested him in 2024 over allegations that Telegram failed to combat criminal activity effectively and did not adequately cooperate with law enforcement investigations. However, Durov has consistently denied the accusations and described the case as legally and logically unfounded.
French authorities later permitted Durov to travel to Dubai twice during 2025 while maintaining temporary travel restrictions. Consequently, the latest Russian charges add another legal challenge involving the Telegram founder.
Meanwhile, Telegram has expanded its digital asset strategy, with Durov announcing earlier this month plans to launch a native non-custodial GRAM wallet for the platform’s roughly one billion users. The announcement followed the June rebranding of The Open Network’s native token from Toncoin to GRAM as Telegram assumed a larger role within the ecosystem.
However, the latest legal developments overshadowed Telegram’s blockchain initiative as Toncoin traded at $1.41, marking a 3.03% decline over the previous 24 hours.
Conclusion
Russia’s decision to charge Pavel Durov marks a major escalation in its dispute with Telegram. At the same time, the case unfolds as the company expands its blockchain strategy, placing both its legal challenges and digital asset ambitions under greater international scrutiny.
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