Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram, has found himself at the center of a criminal case in Russia.
The investigation into his actions is being conducted under an article concerning assistance to terrorists. In this context, discussions are ongoing about recruitment, coercion, and other forms of involvement in terrorist crimes, as well as financing terrorism.
According to information provided by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the FSB, since 2022, the number of crimes related to Telegram has exceeded 153,000. Of these, 33,000 are classified as terrorist or extremist. Among such crimes, one can mention the terrorist attack at "Crocus City Hall" and the murders of Darya Dugina, Vladlen Tatarsky, and Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov.
Social media users are questioning why similar accusations are not being made against mobile operators or the VK platform, which have also been used by terrorists, fraudsters, and distributors of anti-state content for many years. There are even jokes on social media that knife and weapon manufacturers could be at risk.
When an investigation against Durov began in France for similar reasons, propagandists claimed that Europeans were losing their freedom on the internet.
