Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said Telegram’s management had failed to remove channels and bots used to coordinate terrorist and sabotage activities in the country, and announced that an international wanted notice had been issued for the company’s founder, Pavel Durov.
The FSB said an investigation was underway against Durov on charges of assisting terrorist activities.
The statement said Ukrainian intelligence services, along with terrorist and extremist organisations, used numerous channels, chat groups and bots on Telegram to prepare and coordinate sabotage and terrorist attacks, mass killings and cyberfraud activities in Russia.

Access to Telegram had previously been blocked in Russia, and the company had been fined more than 100 million rubles in total.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on 27 July that contacts were continuing over Telegram’s return to full operation, but that company representatives had not been active enough in the process.
Telegram is among Russia’s most popular messaging and social media applications.