"The instant messaging platform failed to remove numerous channels, chats, and bots on the platform that are actively used by Ukrainian special services and by terrorist and extremist organizations to plan and coordinate acts of sabotage and terrorism, mass killings, and cyber-fraud operations within the Russian Federation," the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB) said Wednesday.
FSB charges and the legal framing
The FSB announced criminal charges against Telegram founder Pavel Durov under Part 1.1 of Article 205.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation for aiding terrorist activity and said it has placed him on the international wanted list. The agency tied those charges to an investigation that, it asserted, found Telegram had failed to remove prohibited content and networks that the FSB says were used to plan and coordinate violent attacks and fraud inside Russia.
The "Daivinchik/Leo‑Dating" chatbot and the recruitment narrative
In its statement the FSB identified a Telegram chatbot it named "Daivinchik/Leo‑Dating, Chatting, and New Friends" and asserted that Ukrainian special services employed that chatbot to recruit Russian citizens for sabotage and terrorist activity through "deception and psychological manipulation." The agency said operatives masqueraded as young women on the dating service, established romantic contact with young Russian men, and then used geolocation data and phishing-style payment links as part of a multi-step operation.
Detentions, alleged attacks, and the financial pipeline
Per joint operations with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Investigative Committee of Russia, the FSB said 46 Russian citizens aged 12 to 22 were allegedly detained between July 2025 and the present. The agency said these individuals carried out armed attacks on law enforcement officers and committed arson targeting transport, energy, communications, and financial infrastructure. It added that those detained "acted as couriers, transporting funds obtained from defrauded citizens to cryptocurrency exchange points for deposit into accounts controlled by the adversary."
Alleged coercion, impersonation, and operational pretexts
The FSB described a pattern of impersonation and intimidation in which Ukrainian intelligence agents purportedly used the dating service to secure locations and payments, then followed up via foreign messaging apps with messages from individuals claiming to be Russian law enforcement or officials from Rosfinmonitoring, the Federal Financial Monitoring Service. According to the FSB, those impostors "claimed that the funds sent by the men had ended up in the accounts of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and that the coordinates they had shared were being used by the enemy to plan missile strikes and drone attacks."
"The deceived and intimidated citizens — rendered unable to critically assess the situation due to psychological pressure — were then coerced under threat of criminal prosecution into carrying out armed attacks and acts of arson," the FSB said, adding that these actions were framed as checks on counter‑terrorism security or as participation in other "pseudo‑operational activities."
Russian restrictions on Telegram and Telegram's public response
The charges come against a backdrop of increasingly restrictive measures on Telegram inside Russia: the FSB noted earlier restrictions that included throttling at the start of the year and a near‑complete blockade in April 2026. Telegram's official account on X posted a photo of Pavel Durov making an offensive gesture in response to the FSB announcement. The FSB statement also noted that Durov, who lives in Dubai, has not publicly commented on the development. The agency additionally recalled that "almost two years ago" Durov was arrested and charged in France for failing to tackle illicit activity on the platform.
What this means for the FSB, Telegram, and Ukrainian special services
- FSB and Russian law enforcement: The agency has escalated legal pressure by invoking Article 205.1 and placing Durov on an international wanted list while reporting coordinated detentions with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Investigative Committee.
- Telegram and Pavel Durov: Telegram's public reaction on X—a provocative photo posted by the platform's official account—and Durov's lack of public comment from Dubai are the only responses recorded in the FSB statement; the company faces tightened access domestically following throttling and a near‑complete blockade.
- Ukrainian special services (as alleged by the FSB): The agency accuses them of using a named chatbot and impersonation tactics to recruit and coerce Russian citizens; those claims form the backbone of the criminal allegations and the detention figures the FSB reported.
The FSB's announcement ties together platform moderation, online deception, criminal investigations, and cross‑border allegations into a single legal action: charging a platform founder under a counter‑terrorism statute and putting him on the international wanted list. The statement leaves several practical questions in play for investigators and for Telegram — including how Russia's legal steps will be pursued internationally and how platforms and authorities will treat the specific chatbot and impersonation techniques the FSB described.
