Russia investigates Telegram founder Durov in a bid to subjugate the messaging app

MOSCOW: Russia stepped up its bid to subjugate the Telegram messaging app on Tuesday (Feb 24), announcing in a state-run newspaper that it was investigating billionaire founder Pavel Durov as part of a criminal case involving accusations of terrorism.

Russia is trying to block Telegram, which has more than 1 billion active users and is used very widely in both Russia and Ukraine - and steer tens of millions of Russians towards a state-backed alternative known as MAX.

Telegram did not respond to a request for comment and Durov could not be reached, although the app has repeatedly denied Russia's allegations that it is a haven for criminal activity and compromised by both Western and Ukrainian intelligence.

Russia's official state newspaper, Rossiyskaya Gazeta, published a 1,500-word article which it said was "based on materials from Russia's Federal Security Service" that accused the app of being "a tool for hybrid threats".

"The actions of the head of Telegram, P. Durov, are being investigated as part of a criminal case on the grounds of a crime under Part 1.1 of Article 205.1 (assistance to terrorist activities) of the Criminal Code of Russia," it said.

The newspaper said Telegram had become a tool of the NATO military alliance and Ukraine, and was used widely by radicals and terrorists and posed a "threat to our society".

Four years into the deadliest war in Europe since World War Two, Russia is expanding its already significant repressive powers and crafting a more sophisticated digital surveillance state along the lines of China.

RUSSIAN CLAMPDOWN

Russian officials say the clampdown on virtual private networks (VPNs) and messaging apps such as WhatsApp and Telegram is essential for security as Moscow faces deadly attacks deep inside Russia from Ukraine and alleged attempts at sabotage by Western intelligence agencies.

Western intelligence agencies, in turn, say they are facing the biggest Russian threat since the Cold War, and say they are trying to recruit agents in Russia, but deny trying to destroy Russia.

Moscow has been tightening control over Telegram for months, first slowing down voice and video calls and then briefly blocking the app for some users earlier this month, though it was still working for Reuters reporters in Moscow on Tuesday.

Since its creation in 2013, Telegram has become one of the most important sources of news inside Russia, including for soldiers on both sides of the 1,200km front line in eastern Ukraine.

TELEGRAM

The app is used by the Kremlin, pro-Russian war bloggers and pro-Putin propagandists as well as anti-Putin opposition groups abroad, the growing nationalist opposition and Ukrainian officials, including President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Durov, a 41-year-old billionaire born in President Vladimir Putin's hometown of Leningrad, said Russia's efforts would fail.

"Russia is restricting access to Telegram to force its citizens onto a state-controlled app built for surveillance and political censorship," Durov said on Feb 11.

"This authoritarian move won't change our course. Telegram stands for freedom and privacy, no matter the pressure," he said, adding that Moscow's attempt to strangle Telegram would ultimately fail.

Durov, who now resides in the United Arab Emirates, left Russia in 2014 after he refused to comply with demands to shut down opposition communities on his VK social media platform.

He has railed against restrictions both in Europe and in Russia. After he was arrested at Le Bourget airport in Paris in 2024, he has repeatedly accused French intelligence of trying to get him to censor some content on the app. He was permitted to leave France in 2025 while investigations continue.

Durov, who describes his political views as "libertarian", has also accused French President Emmanuel Macron of trying to turn the EU into a "digital gulag".

Russia's FSB, the main successor to the Soviet-era KGB, said on Saturday that Ukraine's armed forces and intelligence services were harvesting data from the app, including from the use of the app by Russian soldiers.