The Federal Security Service (FSB) today announced it has issued an international arrest warrant for Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of Telegram. The FSB accused Telegram of failing to remove content "used by Ukrainian special services and terrorist organizations to carry out sabotage, terrorist acts, massacres, and online fraud in Russia."

"We have issued an international arrest warrant for P. Durov, the head of Telegram," the FSB stated.

Following the announcement, Telegram's account on social media platform X posted a photo of Durov giving the middle finger. The Telegram CEO and platform representatives have not commented further.

Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov in Abu Dhabi in October 2025. *Photo: AFP*

Launched in 2013, Telegram is an encrypted messaging application reporting over one billion users. It is widely utilized by both sides in the Ukraine conflict. Russia has repeatedly sought to restrict Telegram's use in recent years.

Durov was born in Russia but holds passports from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and France. He is also known for founding VKontakte, a social network often referred to as "Russia's Facebook," which he sold all his shares in 2014.

Separately, French authorities are investigating Durov over allegations that Telegram does not effectively address criminal activities on its platform and fails to cooperate fully with law enforcement requests.

Durov denies all accusations from France. His current whereabouts are unknown.

Ngoc Anh (According to Reuters, AFP)