{"id":94605,"date":"2026-02-24T11:55:41","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T08:55:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/?p=94605"},"modified":"2026-02-24T12:02:15","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T09:02:15","slug":"media-russia-suspects-durov-of-abetting-terrorism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/media-russia-suspects-durov-of-abetting-terrorism\/","title":{"rendered":"Media: Russia suspects Durov of abetting terrorism"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Russian media report that the actions of Telegram founder Pavel Durov are being investigated under a criminal case for aiding terrorist activity. This was reported by <a href=\"https:\/\/rg.ru\/2026\/02\/24\/telegram-ot-simvolov-cifrovoj-svobody-k-instrumentu-gibridnyh-ugroz-1.html\">Rossiyskaya Gazeta<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kp.ru\/daily\/27765\/5213807\/\">Komsomolskaya Pravda<\/a>, citing the <span data-descr=\"Federal Security Service\" class=\"old_tooltip\">\u0424\u0421\u0411<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p>According to the outlets, the probe under Article 205.1(1.1) of the Russian Criminal Code concerns the dissemination of illegal content. The messenger\u2019s administrators allegedly failed to comply with Roskomnadzor (RKN) orders to remove channels and chats carrying information banned in Russia.<\/p>\n<p>The materials also claim that Telegram is used to commit crimes and \u201cto post materials of extremist and terrorist organisations\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>RKN began restricting the service in summer 2025, citing rising fraud. In February 2026 the authorities intensified the \u201cthrottling\u201d of the messenger over non-compliance with Russian law. At the time Durov <a href=\"https:\/\/t.me\/durov\/470\">said<\/a> that \u201cTelegram stands for freedom of speech and privacy\u201d.<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/telegram.org\/js\/telegram-widget.js?22\" data-telegram-post=\"forklog\/47173\" data-width=\"100%\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Not the first time<\/h2>\n<p>Telegram was already blocked in Russia in 2018. The Tagansky District Court of Moscow fast-tracked a lawsuit by Roskomnadzor and the FSB to restrict access to the messenger.<\/p>\n<p>The reason was the service\u2019s refusal to provide encryption keys. Law enforcement called it \u201ca threat to national security\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>In 2020 lawmakers from the A Just Russia party submitted a bill to lift the block on Telegram. The authors said the messenger was \u201cone of the main information resources\u201d and played an important social role during the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n<p>A few days later RKN restored access to the service nationwide. The unblocking, however, resulted not from the bill but from Durov\u2019s statement about improving anti-terrorism mechanisms.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A ban in Ukraine?<\/h2>\n<p>Ukrainian authorities also cite the use of Telegram for unlawful purposes. One of the first draft laws to regulate the messenger <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/1058993524\/posts\/10227509823105410\/\">was submitted<\/a> to the Verkhovna Rada back in 2024.<\/p>\n<p>On 22 February 2026, Iryna Vereshchuk, deputy head of the office of President Volodymyr Zelensky, <a href=\"https:\/\/ria.ru\/20260222\/ukraina-2076140314.html\">said<\/a> it was necessary to consider restricting Telegram in the country after explosions in Lviv. In her view, such messengers are allegedly used to recruit people to commit crimes.<\/p>\n<p>Later, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko and the deputy head of the <span data-descr=\"Security Service of Ukraine\" class=\"old_tooltip\">\u0421\u0411\u0423<\/span>, Ivan Rudnytsky, put forward a similar initiative, <a href=\"https:\/\/interfax.com.ua\/news\/general\/1146706.html?fbclid=IwY2xjawQJgoRleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETJFM05DbURIc0E5dmthU1U0c3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHuij0xhD5apwDOdaIvZx1LFTdFUXReM5DjIxDHGW7Xt_W5hUd_OqFMA_AXqU_aem_ZRIKHWycuGCP46aUa79e5Q\">\u0421\u041c\u0418<\/a> wrote.<\/p>\n<p>At the same time, Klymenko noted that a total ban was not on the table. The main goal, he said, is to minimise crimes that Telegram helps organise.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><em>\u201cRegarding the use of Telegram \u2014 this is a question not only for the Ministry of Internal Affairs or the Security Service of Ukraine. This is a question that society should also answer,\u201d he added.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The case in France<\/h2>\n<p>In August 2024 the founder of Telegram was <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/telegrams-pavel-durov-detained-in-france\">detained<\/a> in France. The authorities <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/french-authorities-clarify-pavel-durovs-detention\">said<\/a> they arrested Durov as part of a sweeping cybercrime investigation, including the unlawful provision of cryptography services and tools.<\/p>\n<p>He was accused of a number of offences linked to organised crime, including complicity in the distribution of drugs and child pornography. The charges also included refusal to provide information in response to authorities\u2019 requests.<\/p>\n<p>In spring 2025 Durov was <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/telegrams-pavel-durov-permitted-to-leave-france-temporarily\">allowed<\/a> to temporarily leave France. He later <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/pavel-durov-calls-his-arrest-in-france-a-legal-absurdity\">called<\/a> the detention \u201ca legal absurdity\u201d. The criminal case against the Telegram founder remains under preliminary investigation.<\/p>\n<p>After his release he immediately <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/durov-announces-enhanced-moderation-on-telegram\">announced<\/a> tighter moderation in the messenger and stricter search rules to combat illegal content.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><em>\u201cWe seek to engage with regulators to find the right balance [between privacy and security]. Our experience is shaped by our mission to protect our users in authoritarian regimes. But we have always been open to dialogue,\u201d the entrepreneur stressed.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Telegram also <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/durov-reveals-user-data-disclosure-statistics-for-telegram\">discloses<\/a> IP addresses and\/or phone numbers of wrongdoers at the request of authorities, starting from 2018.<\/p>\n<p>You can check the number of processed requests via a special bot, but up-to-date information is unavailable. The data are limited to September 2024.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/img-0675721b772546f8-7138843219768330.webp\" alt=\"image\" class=\"wp-image-275693\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Source: Telegram.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Digital (un)freedom<\/h2>\n<p>More countries are seeking control over the digital lives of their citizens. One of the most contentious <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/2024\/6\/19\/24181214\/eu-chat-control-law-propose-scanning-encrypted-messages-csam\">initiatives<\/a> is the EU\u2019s <span data-descr=\"Chat Control\" class=\"old_tooltip\">\u201cChat Control\u201d<\/span> bill.<\/p>\n<p>The proposal mandates scanning private messages with AI \u2014 purportedly to detect child sexual abuse material. It would cover services with end-to-end encryption, including Telegram, WhatsApp and Signal.<\/p>\n<p>The bill also envisages age verification across all digital platforms.<\/p>\n<p>Users have opposed the initiative and launched a campaign called <a href=\"https:\/\/fightchatcontrol.eu\/\">Fight Chat Control<\/a>. Debates over the document continue.<\/p>\n<p>In Australia, an age-verification system <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/articles\/cwyp9d3ddqyo\">went live<\/a> in December 2025, covering almost all digital platforms \u2014 from search engines and social networks to app stores. In China, digital IDs were <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/china-introduces-digital-ids-for-online-use\">launched<\/a> in July.<\/p>\n<p>In October, Durov <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/pavel-durov-warns-of-the-imminent-demise-of-the-free-internet\">warned<\/a> of the \u201cimminent death\u201d of the free internet.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Russian media report that Telegram founder Pavel Durov is under investigation for allegedly abetting terrorism.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":94606,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"select":"1","news_style_id":"1","cryptorium_level":"","_short_excerpt_text":"Reports: Russia probes Durov for allegedly abetting terrorism.","creation_source":"","_metatest_mainpost_news_update":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[1423,36,27,723],"class_list":["post-94605","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-and-analysis","tag-pavel-durov","tag-regulation","tag-russia","tag-telegram"],"aioseo_notices":[],"amp_enabled":true,"views":"196","promo_type":"1","layout_type":"1","short_excerpt":"Reports: Russia probes Durov for allegedly abetting terrorism.","is_update":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94605","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=94605"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94605\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":94607,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94605\/revisions\/94607"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/94606"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=94605"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=94605"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=94605"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}