Telegram founder Pavel Durov has been added to the register of terrorists and extremists maintained by Rosfinmonitoring (Russia's Federal Financial Monitoring Service) — the corresponding entry was published on the agency's website on July 30. According to the registry, the list includes the entrepreneur's first name, surname, and date of birth — October 10, 1984, city of Leningrad.
What Preceded the Decision
The day before, on July 29, Russia's FSB announced that charges had been brought against Durov for facilitating terrorist activities. According to the security service, the criminal case is linked to the use of the "Dayvinchik" dating chat bot — since July 2025, through it, as the investigation claims, 46 young people were recruited who, on assignments from Ukrainian intelligence services, attacked police officers and committed arson. The FSB also accuses Telegram's administration of not removing channels, chats, and bots used by Ukrainian intelligence services and extremist organizations. According to the security service, Durov is being put on the international wanted list.
What Restrictions Await Durov
Inclusion in the Rosfinmonitoring register entails specific consequences:
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banks are obligated to freeze the funds and property of the listed person;
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most financial transactions become unavailable, except for paying taxes, receiving salaries, and compensation for damages;
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a ban is imposed on participation in elections, interaction with the media, and organizing events.
Transferring funds to Durov's accounts may now be considered financing terrorism — this was stated by lawyer Dmitry Roshchin, clarifying that the Telegram founder's accounts in Russia will all be blocked.
How This Concerns Telegram Users
At the same time, the purchase of Telegram Premium by Russians is not subject to these restrictions — IT expert Vladimir Zykov explained that this service is not equated to financing terrorism. According to him, messaging in the app, managing channels, and using the service in general do not automatically make a user a participant in extremist or terrorist activities. The expert does not advise deleting the app, leaving channels, or canceling already paid subscriptions. A separate decision to designate Telegram itself as a banned organization has not yet been published.
It is worth noting that grievances against Durov come not only from Russian authorities: French authorities are conducting an investigation against him on accusations that Telegram did not take adequate measures to combat criminal activity on the platform and did not cooperate fully with law enforcement agencies. The entrepreneur himself denies the charges.
The Rosfinmonitoring register is regularly updated with new individuals, and decisions to block accounts and prohibit financial transactions take effect immediately after the corresponding entry is published.
AI Opinion
Data analysis reveals a classic conflict between messenger architecture and national jurisdictions. Law enforcement agencies directly link the operation of third-party chat bots like "Dayvinchik" to the responsibility of the platform owner, although technically such applications often function as independent services. This precedent blurs the lines of direct moderation and shifts the focus from content control to control of the infrastructure itself.
The macroeconomic risks of such a move affect not only the specific founder but also the entire infrastructure of Web3 projects integrated into the messenger. Freezing financial flows creates a domino effect for legitimate services dependent on this ecosystem.
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