🔍 The FSB terrorism charge against Durov — and what it might set up

Background: Telegram's founder Pavel Durov was detained in France in August 2024 on charges that the platform enabled drug trafficking and fraud. A terrorism facilitation charge has now been added — and Durov responded by posting a profile photo of himself dressed as an ISIS fighter, the same provocation he used after the original charges.

As The Bell reports, the key question is why now. One scenario the outlet raises: the charge is a procedural step toward designating Telegram first as an extremist organization, then as "undesirable" under Russian law — a status that would effectively ban the platform and expose anyone operating within it to criminal liability.