'Don't Get Confused': Telegram Founder Pavel Durov Fires Back at Russia's Terrorism Charge With Viral Meme
Telegram founder Pavel Durov used memes and a dancing clip to reject Russia’s terrorism case as authorities tied the charges to 46 detained chatbot users.
- On Thursday, July 30, 2026, Russian authorities added Telegram founder Pavel Durov to a public blacklist of "terrorists and extremists." Financial watchdog Rosfinmonitoring linked the designation to criminal charges from the Federal Security Service.
- The Federal Security Service alleges Telegram failed to remove a dating bot called "Dayvinchik," which Ukrainian special services allegedly used to recruit young Russians for sabotage operations. Authorities say 46 users aged 12 to 22 were detained since July 2025.
- Durov rejected the allegations in his first personal response, stating, "Russia has designated me as a 'terrorist' for refusing its demands for mass surveillance and censorship on Telegram." He further mocked Russian officials through satirical memes posted on his channel.
- Russian authorities have launched international search proceedings for Durov, 41, who faces life imprisonment if convicted under relevant criminal code articles. The designation bans him from conducting financial transactions inside Russia.
- This confrontation follows a long-running dispute over Telegram's privacy protections and government data access. Moscow has recently pushed users toward an unencrypted state-backed messenger named Max, which Durov slammed as "built for surveillance and political censorship.
27 Articles
27 Articles
Telegram's Durov says labeled 'terrorist' in Russia for refusing 'censorship' demands
Russia, on Thursday, added Durov, 41, to a blacklist of 'terrorists and extremists,' a day after saying it was seeking his arrest over accusations he let his platform be used by Ukrainian intelligence.
Paul Durov responded ironically to the terrorism allegations by changing his avatar to a photograph of a terrorist.
The inclusion of the founder of Telegram, Paul Durov, on the list of terrorists and extremists, Rosfinmontoring, does not impose any restrictions on Telegram itself.
Telegram's boss, Pavel Durov, was placed on a list of Russian authorities identifying persons designated as "terrorists" or "extremists".
'Don't Get Confused': Telegram Founder Pavel Durov Fires Back at Russia's Terrorism Charge With Viral Meme
Pavel Durov, the founder of messaging platform Telegram, has accused Russia of branding him a terrorist for refusing government demands for mass surveillance and censorship, issuing his first personal response after Moscow added him to its official register of terrorists and extremists. 'Russia has designated me as a "terrorist" for refusing its demands for mass surveillance and censorship on Telegram,' Durov wrote on Thursday. 'Under Russian la…
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