Russia Charges Telegram Founder Pavel Durov with Terrorism Russia's FSB has officially charged Telegram founder Pavel Durov with facilitating terrorism and issued an international arrest warrant, A case that could carry up to life in prison. The charge: Telegram allegedly failed to remove channels and bots used for sabotage and cyber-fraud inside Russia. The FSB says a dating bot recruited 46 Russians (aged 12–22) for arson and attacks. Telegram's reply? Durov's official X account posted a photo of him flipping the middle finger. 🖕 Why it matters for crypto: Telegram is core infrastructure for this industry, trading groups, alpha channels, token communities all live here. A founder facing life over content moderation is a direct hit to the privacy and censorship-resistance thesis crypto is built on. Durov holds UAE + French passports and reportedly left Russia in 2014. His current location is unclear.