Pavel Durov is accused of aiding terrorism — media
Since 2022, more than 153,000 crimes related to the Telegram messenger have been recorded, 33,000 of which are of a terrorist and extremist nature.
According to information from the Russian publication "Rossiyskaya Gazeta", the Federal Security Service (FSB) has launched an investigation against Pavel Durov on suspicion of possible facilitation of terrorist activity.
The publication, citing FSB documents, writes that the actions of Durov, one of the founders of the Telegram messenger, are being examined under Part 1.1 of Article 205.1 of the Russian Criminal Code ("Facilitation of Terrorist Activity").
According to law enforcement agencies, since 2022, over 153 thousand crimes related to the messenger have been registered, with it being noted that 33 thousand of them are of a terrorist and extremist nature. It is stated that among them are the organization of explosions, attacks on military facilities, and other serious crimes.
The investigation materials note that the FSB has prevented 475 terrorist attacks. According to the information, some of these planned attacks were coordinated via the messenger. It is also mentioned that 61 cases of planned mass shootings in schools have been prevented.
The publication notes that it is documented that the messenger was also used in planning the attack on the "Crocus City Hall" building in March 2024.
Furthermore, the Russian communications watchdog — Roskomnadzor — has stated that in recent years it has sent over 150 thousand requests to the messenger's administration to remove illegal content, but the majority of these appeals have gone unanswered.
So far, no official reaction from Pavel Durov or the Telegram company regarding these accusations has been reported in open sources. The investigation is ongoing.
