CoinDesk
Russia's Federal Security Service charged Telegram founder Pavel Durov with aiding terrorist activity and placed him on an international wanted list on Wednesday. The FSB accused Telegram of failing to remove channels, chats and bots allegedly used by Ukrainian intelligence and extremist groups to coordinate sabotage, attacks and cyber fraud inside Russia, according to Interfax.
The charges carry a sentence that could lead to life imprisonment. The FSB did not say whether Russia had requested an Interpol Red Notice, which would not, in itself, constitute an international arrest warrant. The case escalates an investigation opened in February after Russia began restricting Telegram's operations, and the platform has already been fined more than 100 million rubles ($1.25 million) this year, primarily for failing to remove content prohibited under Russian law.
Why it matters
Telegram is one of crypto's largest distribution platforms, hosting project communities, trading groups, bots and blockchain-based Mini Apps. It is also closely integrated with The Open Network, whose native token was renamed from Toncoin to Gram in June. TON supports payments, tokenized assets and Mini Apps inside Telegram, giving the network access to the messaging service's more than 1 billion users, per the TON website. Earlier this month, Durov said Telegram will roll out a native, non-custodial Gram wallet inside every Telegram app, deepening the link between the messenger and the network.
Market impact
Gram is trading at $1.42, down roughly 2.4% over the last 24 hours. The bigger read is structural: a life-sentence terrorism charge against Telegram's founder puts new geopolitical risk over the messenger's role as a crypto distribution rail and over the TON ecosystem riding on top of it. Watch whether Moscow requests an Interpol Red Notice, and how the Telegram-TON product roadmap (wallet rollout, Mini Apps) responds if Durov's travel and legal status tighten.
Frequently asked questions
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Why did Russia charge Pavel Durov with aiding terrorism?
The FSB says Telegram failed to remove channels, chats and bots allegedly used by Ukrainian intelligence and extremist groups to coordinate sabotage, attacks and cyber fraud inside Russia, per Interfax.
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What sentence could Durov face if found guilty?
The terrorism charges carry a possible life sentence. The FSB placed him on an international wanted list but did not say whether it requested an Interpol Red Notice.
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How much has Telegram already been fined in Russia this year?
Telegram has been fined more than 100 million rubles ($1.25 million) in 2025 so far, primarily for failing to remove content prohibited under Russian law.
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Why does a Telegram founder's legal risk matter for crypto?
Telegram is one of crypto's largest distribution platforms, hosting project communities, trading groups, bots and blockchain-based Mini Apps, and is closely integrated with The Open Network (Gram / former Toncoin).
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How did Gram (Toncoin) react to the news?
Gram is trading at $1.42, down roughly 2.4% over the prior 24 hours, with the bigger structural risk sitting over Telegram's role as a crypto distribution rail rather than just the spot price.
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