The FSB said in a Wednesday statement that Telegram's administration had failed to remove "numerous channels, chats and bots" allegedly used by Ukrainian intelligence agencies and terrorist and extremist organisations to prepare and coordinate acts of sabotage, terrorism, mass murder and cyberfraud within Russia, which the agency said had resulted in "numerous human casualties." If convicted, Durov could face up to life in prison in Russia.

Durov, 41, was born and began his career in Russia before moving abroad; Telegram's official website lists the company as based in Dubai, where Durov — who holds dual French and UAE citizenship — currently lives. He had already announced earlier this year that Russian authorities had opened a criminal investigation against him, at the time accusing them of fabricating pretexts to restrict access to Telegram as part of what he called an effort to suppress the right to privacy and free speech. Telegram did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the fresh charges, though the platform's official X account posted an image of Durov making an obscene gesture shortly after the announcement.

The charges arrive as Russian authorities have moved to significantly restrict Telegram — one of the most widely used messaging apps in the country — with the service now effectively throttled, forcing many Russian users to rely on VPNs to access it. The move is part of a broader, long-running effort under President Vladimir Putin to bring the internet under closer state control, one that has intensified since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022. Even as access is restricted, Russian state bodies including the Kremlin and the defence ministry have continued posting to Telegram on a daily basis, and the platform has been described as a virtual battlefield in the broader Russia-Ukraine conflict, used by officials and soldiers on both sides.

This isn't Durov's only ongoing legal exposure. He already faces a separate criminal case in France, where he was handed preliminary charges in 2024 over allegations of allowing criminal activity on Telegram, spanning 12 counts including complicity in drug trafficking. The Kremlin had criticised French authorities' action against Durov at the time as "selective." Durov returned to Dubai last year after spending several months in France amid that case.

Russia has separately been promoting its own domestically developed messaging app, known as MAX, which critics say could be used for state surveillance — positioning it as a potential Telegram alternative even as the platform Durov built continues to operate, in restricted form, inside the country he no longer calls home.