Russia Was Talking to Telegram on Monday. It Charged Pavel Durov on Wednesday.

Russia charged Telegram founder Pavel Durov with facilitating terrorist activities and issued an international arrest warrant, escalating a long-running dispute with the messaging platform. The move follows Kremlin statements on Monday, July 27 indicating talks were still underway about switching the app back on, creating a gap of 48 hours between the diplomacy and the criminal filing. The charge was issued by Russia’s FSB under Article 205.1 of the criminal code, which carries up to 15 years in prison, though the report notes no evidence has been provided that can be verified outside Russia. Durov and Telegram did not comment on the day. Russia’s broader pressure campaign includes a prior crackdown on VPNs that disrupted banks and card payments in April, while Durov has said daily active Telegram users remain high.