The founder of the Telegram messenger, Pavel Durov, has been officially added to the registry of individuals involved in extremist activities or terrorism. This information appeared in the "Rosfinmonitoring" database and was confirmed by the RBC-Ukraine publication.
In the updated list, the entrepreneur's name is marked with an asterisk — a special marker indicating that a criminal case has been initiated against him under the article on terrorism. According to Russian legislation, inclusion in such a registry entails the automatic freezing of assets and the termination of banking services.
Chronology of the conflict with the Russian authorities
This decision became a logical continuation of the long-standing confrontation between Durov and the Russian authorities. Previously, the founder of Telegram had already been accused of aiding terrorism, and he himself was placed under international arrest warrant.
The history of the conflict dates back to 2014, when Durov left Russia after losing control over the social network VKontakte. According to the entrepreneur himself, the reason for the break was the demands of the security services to provide access to user data and limit the activities of opposition communities, which he categorically rejected.
International problems and blocks
Problems with regulators have pursued Durov outside of Russia as well. In August 2024, he was detained in France on charges of improper moderation of illegal content on Telegram. Later, the entrepreneur was released on bail.
In addition, Durov publicly appealed to the .me domain zone operator after the sudden disappearance of the t.me address from the DNS system. According to him, the cause of the failures was the sanctions requirements from the United States.
Today, Telegram remains one of the most popular messengers in the world, created by Pavel and his brother Nikolai back in 2013. The inclusion of the founder in the list of terrorists in Russia significantly complicates his legal status and may affect the operation of the service in the jurisdiction of the aggressor country.
