As Russia launches a criminal investigation against Telegram’s CEO, the app’s critics are defending it

Pavel Durov, CEO of messaging app Telegram, dismissed the Russian criminal investigation against him as “a sad spectacle of a state that fears its people.”

Durov, a Russian-born billionaire living in the United Arab Emirates, he made a statement about X while confirming Russian state news reports that the country’s Federal Security Service he is investigating him for “aiding terrorism.”

“Each day, the authorities create new excuses to limit Russians’ access to Telegram as they seek to suppress the right to privacy and freedom of expression,” Durov wrote.

Access Now – a non-profit digital rights organization based in Berlin strongly criticized Telegram’s security and privacy in the past – says Durov is right.

“I tend to agree with Durov, and it’s hard to believe I’m saying this,” Natalia Krapiva, senior legal counsel for Access Now, said. As It Happened hosted by Nil Köksal.

“But this time, Russia is trying to suppress the freedom of speech and access to information of its people.”

This is not the first time Durov has faced a criminal investigation. In 2024, he was arrested in Paris on allegations that his platform was being used for illegal activities, including drug trafficking and the distribution of child sexual abuse images. He was later they have been allowed to fly home to Dubai as that investigation continues.

‘Danger to our country’

The move is the latest escalation in Russia’s ongoing efforts to block Telegram, which is widely used. by Russians – including Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine.

Just two weeks ago, Russia’s communications watchdog, Roskomnadzor, announced it was blocking access to Telegram because the company refused to comply with Russian law.

Russia has not officially confirmed the details of its investigation into Durov. But the official state newspaper, Rossiyskaya Gazeta, reported that he was being investigated for alleged support for terrorist activities after the app was used “as a tool for hybrid threats.”

When asked about the case, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday the Federal Security Service it had collected information on “a large number of violations” by Telegram, as well as content that “may be harmful to our country.” He said Telegram was unwilling to cooperate with the authorities.

“Based on this, the relevant bodies take the measures they deem appropriate,” said Peskov.

Part of a wide crack

Telegram isn’t the only app Russia has targeted. The government set limits FaceTime, blocked messaging apps, Viber and WhatsApp, and blocked Facebook and Instagram.

While it cracks down on private external platforms, it pushes people to another state-run one, MAX, which it bills as a one-stop shop for messaging, online government services, making payments and more.

“Russia seems to have invested a lot of resources in promoting this app. They’ve used celebrities. They’ve put out messages. saying:’This may be the only way to contact government services. You really need this,'” Krapiva said.

But Krapiva warns MAX can be used as a surveillance tool by Russia, especially when used by journalists or activists.

The platform clearly declares that it will share user data with the authorities if requested.

“So we advise people not to use it,” said Krapiva. “Or, if they have to use it, they should have it on a separate phone that they don’t have sensitive information on, especially if they’re high-risk users.”

All Russian Internet

So far, Krapiva says, Russians don’t seem eager to make a complete change.

He says Telegram usage remains high in the country, despite service disruptions imposed by the government, as people use services such as private networks (VPNs) to circumvent laws.

“Statistics are a little hard to come by, but our understanding and hearing from Russian Internet digital rights experts is that, indeed, the use of VPNs has increased significantly in Russia,” he said.

It also helps, he says, that state-owned instruments like MAX are not at the same level of quality as their private, foreign-owned counterparts.

But Russia is now cracking down on VPN services, and, he said, blocking content that advertises them so Russians don’t know they exist or how to find them.

The main goal, he says, is to force people into a Russian-only internet world, where the government can fully control the flow of information.

“This is a sad, disturbing situation,” he said.