Russia issues international arrest warrant for Telegram founder Pavel Durov on terrorism complicity charges

Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) announced on Wednesday that it had charged Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov with complicity in terrorism and issued an international warrant for his arrest. The FSB claims Telegram violated Russian law by refusing to remove numerous channels, chat groups, and bots that Ukrainian intelligence services and what Moscow calls terrorist and extremist organisations allegedly use to plan and coordinate acts of sabotage, mass killings, and cyber fraud inside the Russian Federation.

An international arrest warrant has been issued for the head of Telegram's administration, P. Durov.

Durov, born in Russia and now holding French and Emirati passports, is currently in France. Neither Durov nor Telegram representatives have commented on the charges as of Wednesday morning.

The Leo Match bot allegations

The FSB singled out a dating bot called Leo Match, banned in Russia, as a central piece of its case. According to the security service, Ukrainian special services agents posed as young women on the bot to contact Russian males, then pressured them into attacking police officers and setting fire to energy and transport infrastructure.

Forty-six Russian citizens aged between 12 and 22 who used the Leo Match bot have been arrested since July 2025 in various Russian regions for assaulting law enforcement officers and committing acts of sabotage against energy and transport facilities.

The FSB stated that all 46 were contacted through Leo Match by Ukrainian intelligence operatives who later blackmailed them into carrying out the attacks.

Broader accusations against Telegram

Beyond the dating bot, the FSB's statement alleges that Telegram hosts a wider ecosystem of channels and bots used to coordinate sabotage, terrorism, mass killings, and cybercrime across Russian territory. The security service claims these activities have caused numerous casualties, including women and children, and inflicted billions of dollars in material damage.

Telegram, founded in 2013, now counts over one billion users and plays a significant role on both sides of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Russian authorities have tried for years to restrict access to the platform while promoting their own state-backed messenger, MAX, with limited success.

Durov's legal troubles in France

The Russian warrant is not Durov's first encounter with law enforcement over Telegram's content moderation. In August 2024, he was arrested upon landing in France and placed under formal investigation, a status under French law that means investigators believe they have sufficient evidence to proceed, without amounting to a conviction or trial referral.

French prosecutors have accused him of complicity in running a platform used for illegal transactions, distribution of child sexual abuse material, drug trafficking, fraud, and money laundering, as well as refusing to provide information requested by authorities and violating French cryptography regulations. Durov, who became a French citizen in 2021, remains under strict judicial supervision and has denied all charges.

Telegram and the Ukraine war

Telegram has become a critical communication tool for both Russian and Ukrainian forces and civilians since the full-scale invasion began. The platform's encrypted channels carry frontline updates, drone footage, and official statements from both sides. The FSB's move comes after Durov announced in early 2026 that Russian authorities had opened a criminal investigation against him. He accused them of inventing pretexts to restrict access to Telegram, calling it part of an attempt to "suppress the right to privacy and freedom of expression."

Durov previously founded VKontakte, Russia's Facebook equivalent, before selling his stake in 2014 under pressure from Russian authorities and leaving the country.