Russia has stepped up its long-running standoff with Telegram by seeking the arrest of the platform's founder, Pavel Durov, accusing him of allowing the messaging app to be used by Ukraine's security services to recruit people for acts of sabotage.
The announcement was made on Wednesday by Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), which said it had initiated international search proceedings against Durov over allegations of "complicity in terrorism". Authorities claimed Telegram had failed to remove content classified as prohibited, accusing the platform of becoming a tool for Ukrainian intelligence agencies seeking recruits inside Russia.
"An international wanted notice has been issued... for the head of the Telegram administration, P. Durov," the FSB said in a statement.
The agency, however, did not explain the type of international notice that had been issued or whether foreign governments or international policing bodies would honour the request.
The latest move adds to years of tension between Durov and the Russian government. Moscow has repeatedly accused Telegram of refusing to cooperate with authorities, while Durov has resisted calls to hand over user information or weaken the platform's privacy protections.
Russian officials alleged that Ukrainian security services had used Telegram to persuade Russian citizens to carry out sabotage operations. They also accused Durov of failing to remove content banned under Russian law.
Both Russia and Ukraine have repeatedly accused each other of using social media and messaging platforms to recruit supporters and coordinate activities linked to the conflict that has now lasted more than four years.
Durov, 41, was born in Saint Petersburg but has lived abroad for years and now holds French and United Arab Emirates citizenship. He first gained prominence after creating VKontakte, a social networking site often compared to Facebook, before leaving the company after it came under increasing pressure from Russian authorities.
He later launched Telegram, which grew into one of the world's most popular messaging services. Despite several attempts by Russian regulators to block the app, it continued to attract millions of users and remains one of the country's leading communication platforms.
The dispute comes as Russia promotes Max, a government-backed messaging service developed by VK, the state-controlled company that now owns VKontakte. Officials have encouraged users to move from Telegram and WhatsApp to the new platform.
Durov has openly criticised Max, describing it as "a state-controlled app built for surveillance and political censorship".
The Telegram chief has also faced legal scrutiny in France over allegations linked to illegal content shared on the platform. He did not immediately respond to the latest accusations made by the FSB.