Overview
- The Federal Security Service (FSB) announced Wednesday that it has issued an international search order for Pavel Durov and opened a criminal case accusing him of complicity in terrorism.
- Russian officials say Telegram did not remove channels, chats and bots that were used to recruit and extort Russians and to coordinate sabotage, and they singled out a dating chatbot known as Daivinchik or Leo as central to the probe.
- The FSB cited 46 detentions of people aged about 12–22 since July 2025 who it says were drawn into schemes run through the bot and then involved in attacks and extortion inside Russia.
- Durov lives outside Russia and holds foreign passports, which legal experts and outlets say complicates Moscow’s ability to arrest him and makes Interpol cooperation and extradition uncertain; Russian penalties could include life imprisonment if he is convicted.
- Telegram responded online with a defiant image of Durov, while Russia has kept Telegram restricted at home and is promoting a state messaging app, MAX, as part of a broader Kremlin push to tighten control over digital communications.