Telegram founder Pavel Durov has publicly responded to the launch of a criminal case against him in Russia, where authorities accuse him of aiding terrorist activities.

In a post shared on his official Telegram channel, Durov strongly rejected the allegations, The Caspian Post reports.

“Russia has opened a criminal case against me for ‘aiding terrorism.’ Each day, the authorities fabricate new pretexts to restrict Russians’ access to Telegram as they seek to suppress the right to privacy and free speech. A sad spectacle of a state afraid of its own people,” he wrote.

The criminal investigation, initiated on suspicion of “abetting terrorist activities,” marks a further escalation in tensions between the Kremlin and the widely used messaging platform. The case was opened “based on materials from Russia’s federal security service.” Authorities claim the app has been compromised by Western and Ukrainian intelligence services.

Earlier this month, Moscow announced measures to slow down Telegram’s traffic, citing what it described as repeated legal violations. The move is widely seen as part of the Kremlin’s broader effort to redirect millions of Russian users to a state-controlled messaging alternative known as MAX.

The policy aligns with Russia’s ongoing push to develop what officials call a “sovereign internet” - a digital ecosystem designed to function independently and remain under tighter state control.

Commenting on the investigation, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that authorities had identified materials circulating on Telegram that could “potentially pose a threat” to Russia. Durov, who resides abroad, has not indicated any plans to return to the country.