Telegram founder Pavel Durov has responded to Russia’s latest legal actions by accusing authorities of trying to impose mass surveillance and censorship on the messaging platform, while also claiming the state has moved to restrict his ability to publish online.

Speaking in a Telegram post on Thursday—one day after Russia announced new charges—Durov said Russian authorities labeled him a “terrorist” following his refusal to comply with government demands related to monitoring and restricting content on Telegram.

Key takeaways

Durov says Russia designated him a “terrorist” after he resisted demands tied to mass surveillance and censorship of Telegram.
He also claims Russian authorities barred him from publishing information on the internet.
Russia’s Federal Security Service alleges Telegram failed to remove channels linked to terrorist groups and Ukrainian intelligence services.
The Russian case follows a separate, ongoing investigation in France tied to accusations that Telegram inadequately moderates illegal content and does not sufficiently respond to law enforcement requests.
Additional legal pressure is reportedly building in Australia through court proceedings over alleged failures to remove terrorism-related content.

Russia escalates allegations against Durov

According to the timeline reported earlier by Cointelegraph, the comments came a day after Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) accused Durov of facilitating terrorist activity. The FSB’s allegation centers on a claim that Telegram did not remove channels used by terrorist organizations and by what Russia described as Ukrainian intelligence services.

Durov’s response on Telegram frames the situation as part of a broader conflict over how governments seek control of online communication. He told Telegram users that Russia had also blocked him from “publishing information on the Internet,” and added that authorities appeared to be “confused about who can ban whom from the Internet.”

How the Russian investigation started

The current escalation builds on a criminal investigation Russia launched in February, as previously detailed by Cointelegraph. At the time, regulators accused Telegram of leaving nearly 155,000 channels, chats, and bots online despite Telegram’s position that such content did not violate relevant Russian law.

The investigation was tied to a wide range of alleged violations, including rules covering extremist material, terrorism, drug trafficking, and other illicit activity categories—suggesting that Russian authorities are treating Telegram’s moderation and compliance as a central issue rather than targeting isolated incidents.

Broader legal challenges in Europe and beyond

While Russia’s charges are the latest development, Durov’s legal problems extend beyond the country. Cointelegraph previously reported that Durov was arrested in France in August 2024 and remains under judicial investigation over allegations that Telegram facilitated criminal activity by failing to adequately moderate illegal content and respond to law enforcement requests.

Durov has denied wrongdoing, saying French authorities did not follow due process in efforts to obtain information from Telegram. His arrest also sparked an organized public push from the TON community, which—according to Cointelegraph—raised more than 9 million signatures on an open letter urging French authorities to release him.

The case has also involved changes to how restrictions on his movement were handled. Cointelegraph reported that French authorities allowed Durov to return temporarily to Dubai in March 2025, before lifting travel restrictions entirely later in 2025.

New pressure reported in Australia

Alongside Europe and Russia, Telegram is facing further legal scrutiny in Australia. Cointelegraph reported that Australian regulators this week launched court proceedings alleging Telegram failed to remove terrorism-related content.

For Telegram and Durov, these separate legal tracks underscore a recurring theme in cross-border platform enforcement: different jurisdictions are asking the same underlying question—how much responsibility a messaging provider should bear for removing content and supporting law enforcement access.

Durov’s privacy-and-surveillance messaging

Durov has portrayed himself as a defender of free speech and digital privacy, using recent statements to argue that compliance efforts can drift into broader surveillance. Cointelegraph noted that in April he warned the European Union’s proposed age-verification app could open the door to wider online monitoring.

That same month, Cointelegraph also reported that Durov linked alleged tax data leaks to a wave of crypto-related kidnappings in France, and said Telegram would leave the country rather than grant authorities access to users’ private messages.

In the current dispute with Russia, his public framing follows the same pattern: he positions government demands as attempts to expand control over messaging infrastructure rather than as targeted enforcement of specific legal obligations.

As Russia’s case develops and other jurisdictions—such as France and Australia—pursue their own enforcement actions, investors and builders in crypto-adjacent ecosystems may want to watch for any tangible changes in platform moderation, legal compliance requirements, and cross-border cooperation that could affect how TON and Telegram-related services operate in practice.