## Russia Accuses Telegram of Aiding Terror and Sabotage The **Federal Security Service (FSB)** of the Russian Federation announced on Wednesday that it has charged **Telegram** founder **Pavel Durov** for allegedly enabling terrorist activities and failing to remove information deemed illegal under Russian law. The principal security agency stated that the popular instant messaging platform "failed to remove numerous channels, chats, and bots on the platform that are actively used by Ukrainian special services and by terrorist and extremist organizations to plan and coordinate acts of sabotage and terrorism, mass killings, and cyber-fraud operations within the Russian Federation." These alleged actions have reportedly led to numerous casualties, including women and children, and billions in damages. ### International Warrant Issued for Durov **Durov** has been charged under Part 1.1 of Article 205.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation for aiding terrorist activity and has been placed on an international wanted list.  ### 'Daivinchik' Chatbot Allegations The **FSB** further claimed that Ukrainian special services utilized a **Telegram** chatbot named "Daivinchik/Leo-Dating, Chatting, and New Friends" to recruit Russian citizens for sabotage and terrorist activities through deception and psychological manipulation. Joint operations with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Investigative Committee of Russia reportedly led to the detention of 46 Russian citizens, aged 12 to 22, between July 2025 and the present. These individuals are accused of carrying out armed attacks on law enforcement officers and acts of arson targeting transport, energy, communications, and financial infrastructure. "Additionally, they acted as couriers, transporting funds obtained from defrauded citizens to cryptocurrency exchange points for deposit into accounts controlled by the adversary," the agency's statement read. ### Dating App Deception Scheme Ukrainian intelligence agents are also accused of using the "Daivinchik" **Telegram** dating service to impersonate young women, initiating online contact with young Russian men. After establishing romantic relationships, the men allegedly sent geolocations of desired meeting places (e.g., shopping malls, critical facilities) and purchased tickets or gifts via phishing links provided by the agents. In a subsequent phase, representatives of Ukrainian intelligence services, posing as Russian law enforcement or officials from **Rosfinmonitoring** (the Federal Financial Monitoring Service), would contact the men via foreign messaging apps. These impostors allegedly claimed that the funds sent by the men had gone to the Armed Forces of Ukraine and that the shared coordinates were being used for missile and drone attacks. "The deceived and intimidated citizens – rendered unable to critically assess the situation due to psychological pressure – were then coerced under threat of criminal prosecution into carrying out armed attacks and acts of arson," the **FSB** alleged. These actions were ostensibly framed as counter-terrorism security checks or participation in "pseudo-operational activities." ### Telegram's Response and Past Encounters **Telegram**'s official account on **X** (formerly Twitter) responded to the charges by posting a photo of **Durov** giving the middle finger. **Durov**, who resides in Dubai, has not publicly commented on the development. These charges follow Russia's introduction of various restrictions on **Telegram**, including throttling its use early this year and a near-complete blockade in April 2026. Almost two years prior, **Durov** was also arrested and charged in France for allegedly failing to address illicit activity on the platform.