![\"\"](\"https:\/\/s3-images.ctmedia.io\/media\/content\/screenshot-2026-07-30-at-10743-pm.png\")
<\/p>\nTelegram founder Pavel Durov said Russian authorities designated him a \u201cterrorist\u201d after he refused government demands for mass surveillance and censorship on the messaging platform, responding publicly a day after Russia announced charges against him.<\/p>\n
In a Telegram post on Thursday, Durov also said Russia had barred him from \u201cpublishing information on the Internet,\u201d adding that authorities had \u201cgot confused about who can ban whom from the Internet.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Source: Telegram, <\/em>Pavel Durov<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n The comments came a day after Russia\u2019s Federal Security Service accused Durov of facilitating terrorist activity<\/a>, alleging Telegram failed to remove channels used by terrorist groups and Ukrainian intelligence services.<\/p>\n The case builds on a criminal investigation<\/a> Russia launched in February, when regulators accused Telegram of leaving nearly 155,000 channels, chats and bots online despite claims they violated Russian laws covering extremist content, terrorism, drug trafficking and other illicit activity.<\/p>\n Related: <\/strong><\/em>Pavel Durov says Telegram to roll out native Gram crypto wallet<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n The Russian case adds to Durov\u2019s legal challenges abroad. Durov was arrested in France<\/a> 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n Durov has denied wrongdoing<\/a>, arguing that French authorities failed to follow due process in seeking information from Telegram. His arrest also prompted a\u00a0TON Community-backed\u00a0campaign that collected more than\u00a09 million signatures on an open letter urging French authorities to release him.<\/p>\n French authorities initially allowed Durov to temporarily return to Dubai in March 2025 before lifting his travel restrictions<\/a> entirely later that year. <\/p>\n Telegram is also facing fresh legal pressure in Australia<\/a>, where regulators this week launched court proceedings alleging the platform failed to remove terrorism-related content.<\/p>\n Durov has cast himself as a defender of free speech and digital privacy. In April, he warned the European Union\u2019s proposed age-verification app<\/a> could pave the way for broader online surveillance.\u00a0The same month, he blamed alleged tax data leaks for a wave of crypto-related kidnappings<\/a> in France and said Telegram would leave the country rather than grant authorities access to users\u2019 private messages.<\/p>\n Magazine: <\/strong><\/em>A quantum roadmap would push Bitcoin much higher: Charles Edwards<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\nDurov\u2019s legal battles extend beyond Russia<\/h3>\n