Russian authorities have launched a criminal investigation against Telegram co-founder and CEO Pavel Durov, according to state media reports.
Durov is being investigated in Russia as part of a criminal case involving accusations of facilitating terrorist activities, the official state publication Rossiyskaya Gazeta reported on Tuesday, citing the Federal Security Service (FSB).
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reportedly confirmed the investigation and said the news was based on materials from the FSB, which was “carrying out its duties.”
The latest news adds to an ongoing pressure campaign against Telegram in Russia since state media regulator Roskomnadzor tightened restrictions on messaging in early February.
Telegram had not responded to the reports at the time of publication. Cointelegraph contacted Telegram for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Telegram refuses to cooperate with Russian authorities
The reported investigation is based on Telegram’s refusal to comply with Roskomnadzor’s demands to remove what it said was extremist-linked content.
According to the state newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda, Telegram has not removed almost 155,000 channels, chats and bots flagged locally for containing illegal or harmful content.
The largest categories include 104,093 channels containing false information, 10,598 promoting extremism, 4,168 justifying extremist activity and 3,771 drug-related.
The investigation could lead to the entire platform being labeled extremist, warned former Internet adviser to the Russian presidency, German Klimenko. He said that could penalize payments for Telegram Premium subscriptions and advertising on the platform.
Durov accuses Russia of attacking Telegram to promote the state messenger
Durov has previously said the push is aimed at steering users toward a new state-backed messenger called MAX.
He added that other countries, including Iran, have tried similar strategies and failed. “Despite the ban, most Iranians still use Telegram and prefer it to monitored apps,” Durov wrote on his Telegram channel on February 10.
“Restricting the freedom of citizens is never the right answer. Telegram represents freedom of expression and privacy, no matter the pressure,” Durov added.
Related: TON Pay aims to turn Telegram into a crypto payment layer for TON
The Russian investigation comes as Durov remains under scrutiny abroad. Durov is also part of an ongoing investigation in France since his arrest in August 2024.
French authorities lifted Durov’s travel ban in November 2025 after previously saying he could face up to 10 years in prison.
Magazine: How cryptocurrency laws changed in 2025 and how they will change in 2026
