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“No paid subscriptions, no purchases of TON tokens, and so on. In other words, I do not recommend that our citizens engage in any transactions within the Telegram ecosystem,” Svintsov said in an interview with TASS.
According to the lawmaker, this recommendation does not mean that the Russian authorities’ claims extend to Telegram itself. He noted that the charges pertain specifically to Durov, and that the company retains the ability to continue operating in Russia provided it complies with legal requirements, including opening a representative office in the country, localizing users’ personal data, and cooperating with law enforcement agencies.
According to RBC, on Tuesday, July 28, the FSB reported that Durov had been charged under Part 1.1 of Article 205.1 of the Russian Criminal Code (aiding terrorist activities). According to the security service, Telegram’s administration failed to remove channels, chats, and bots that, the agency claims, were used by Ukrainian intelligence services to prepare and coordinate sabotage, terrorist acts, and other crimes. The FSB also stated that the entrepreneur will be placed on an international wanted list.
The statement marked another step in the Russian authorities’ escalating pressure on Telegram. In February, RBC reported, citing sources, that the authorities had begun preparing measures to slow down the messenger’s performance. Later, Minister of Digital Development Maksut Shadayev stated that the state is consistently ensuring the platform’s compliance with Russian law. Durov said at the time that Telegram would continue to adapt to the existing restrictions.
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