Russia places Telegram founder Pavel Durov on terrorist list
Rosfinmonitoring added Pavel Durov to the list of terrorists and extremists, while the FSB accused him of aiding and inciting terrorism and announced an arrest warrant.
The Russian main financial supervisory authority today added Pavel Durov, the founder of the social network Telegram, to its official list of terrorists and extremists. Durov's name now appears alongside the names of other accused individuals in Rosfinmonitoring's registry.
Rosfinmonitoring has long faced criticism that it facilitates the Kremlin's efforts to crack down on dissidents and independent platforms, and the new designation of Durov under this label deepens that criticism. The statement did not provide additional concrete details about the legal grounds for the inclusion.
Yesterday the Russian domestic intelligence service, the FSB, accused Durov of aiding and inciting terrorism and announced that an arrest warrant would be issued for him. The accusation followed claims that Ukrainian intelligence services use Telegram to establish contacts with Russians who then carry out sabotage, attacks and other criminal acts.
What do the Russian services claim?
The FSB says that several suspects are already in custody, whose statements, according to Russian authorities, support the accusation against Telegram. The Russian services link that alleged communication via the platform to actions they consider a threat to national security.
The combination of Rosfinmonitoring's list and the FSB's charges marks an escalation of Moscow's actions against digital platforms it considers a risk. For Telegram this means the possibility of additional legal and operational pressure within Russia.
The cited activities could worsen Telegram's accessibility for users and lead to increased scrutiny of the app's operations, but the statement did not specify immediate enforcement measures other than the announced arrest warrant.
Photo: DPA)
