The actions of Telegram co-founder Pavel Durov are under investigation on criminal charges for aiding terrorist activities.
According to materials from the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), the state daily Rossiyskaya Gazeta claims that since 2022, the number of registered crimes committed using the messaging app has exceeded 153,000.
Of these, 33,000 were crimes of a sabotage-terrorist and extremist nature, including organizing explosions, arson attacks on military recruitment offices, and killings. Among the prevented crimes were 61 planned mass shootings in schools.
The article noted that the March 2024 terrorist attack at the Crocus City Hall in the Moscow region was coordinated via Telegram.
“Victims of digital permissiveness included Russian citizens, bloggers, and journalists, including Darya Dugina and Maxim Fomin, as well as nine high-ranking military officials, including Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov. Using Telegram analytics, the perpetrators collected information about their relatives, travel routes, and daily routines,” the report stated.
Additionally, approximately 700 direct threats against the families of Russian military personnel have been registered.
Meanwhile, in recent years, Russia’s state media regulator, Roskomnadzor, reportedly sent more than 150,000 requests to Durov’s team through official channels to remove various types of illegal content, all of which were ignored, according to the report.
