Russia’s financial monitoring agency, Rosfinmonitoring, added Telegram founder Pavel Durov to its list of extremists and terrorists on Thursday, according to a designation published on the agency’s website (30/07).

The move followed charges from Moscow accusing Durov of facilitating terrorist activity, with authorities alleging that Ukrainian spies used his messaging application to organise attacks inside Russia.

Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said Durov, who lives in Dubai, had been placed on an international wanted list, although it did not provide details about how the action would be carried out.

Russia Charges Telegram Founder Over Alleged Terrorist Activity

The action against Durov is part of a wider crackdown on Telegram by the Russian government, which has restricted the application as authorities seek to promote state-backed services and increase control over online activities.

In response to the charges, Telegram’s official account on X posted an image of the 41-year-old Russian-born billionaire making an obscene gesture with his middle finger.

Telegram says it has more than 1 billion users and is widely used in Russia, Ukraine, and other former Soviet countries.

Telegram Faces Growing Pressure From Russian Authorities

Telegram is also used daily by the Kremlin, the Russian Defence Ministry, and dozens of senior government officials.

Despite the action against Durov, the Russian presidency said Telegram had not been officially designated as a banned organisation.

In a statement published on Thursday, the Russian presidency’s Telegram channel said: “No separate decision has yet been published designating Telegram as a banned organisation, so there is currently no ban on the use of the Telegram messaging app.”

Durov Listed Alongside Taliban and Meta by Rosfinmonitoring

Durov, who left Russia in 2014 and later moved Telegram to Dubai, was added to Rosfinmonitoring’s list alongside the Taliban, US technology company Meta, and what Russia calls the “LGBT movement.”

The designation effectively bans the activities of listed entities inside Russia and allows possible criminal cases against people considered associated with them.

After being added to the list on Thursday, Durov posted a meme on his Telegram channel with the headline “Don’t mix them up.”

The post showed a photograph of Durov labelled “terrorists’ accomplice” next to a photograph of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov meeting members of the Taliban with the caption “dear partners.”

Durov said he was in Georgia last week, but his current location remains unclear.

PHOTO: BUSINESS TODAY

This article was created with AI assistance.

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