Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) has formally charged Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram, with aiding terrorism, putting him on an international wanted list. The FSB claims that Telegram has not adequately removed channels, chats, and bots allegedly utilized by Ukrainian intelligence and extremist organizations for coordinating sabotage, attacks, and cyber fraud within Russia.
The legal repercussions of these charges could lead to a life sentence for Durov. While the FSB did not confirm if it requested an Interpol Red Notice in relation to the charges, such a notice would not automatically equate to an international arrest warrant.
This case represents a significant escalation of an ongoing investigation that began in February, during which Russia started imposing restrictions on Telegram's operations. To date, the platform has accrued fines exceeding 100 million rubles (approximately $1.25 million) this year alone for not removing content deemed illegal under Russian law, as reported by Interfax.
Telegram is recognized as one of the largest platforms within the cryptocurrency sector, serving as a hub for project communities, trading groups, bots, and blockchain-based Mini Apps. The platform is closely linked with The Open Network (TON), whose native token was rebranded from Toncoin to Gram in June. TON facilitates payments, tokenized assets, and Mini Apps inside Telegram, leveraging access to the messaging service’s extensive user base of over 1 billion.
Currently, Gram is trading at $1.42, reflecting a decline of approximately 2.4% in the last 24 hours. Earlier this month, Durov announced plans to introduce a native, non-custodial Gram wallet across all Telegram applications.