{"text":[[{"start":7.56,"text":"Russia said it intends to put Telegram’s chief executive Pavel Durov on its international wanted list, escalating the Kremlin’s feud with the founder of the popular messaging app."}],[{"start":17.8,"text":"Durov, who left Russia in 2014 and now holds French and Emirati citizenship, was accused by the FSB security service of “facilitating terrorist activities” by failing to remove chats on the app that it said were being used by Ukrainian intelligence agencies to orchestrate attacks on Russia."}],[{"start":36.22,"text":"The arrest warrant for Durov comes as Russia has made a broad push to restrict internet access this year, leading to painful shutdowns and outages that have regularly left people across the country without access to basic online services."}],[{"start":50.28,"text":"Telegram has been a specific focus for authorities as it remains a rare space where Russians can switch with ease between reading patriotic military bloggers one moment and anti-Kremlin opposition leaders the next."}],[{"start":62.84,"text":"“Telegram CEO P. Durov has been charged in connection with an ongoing criminal investigation,” the FSB said in a statement cited by the Tass state news agency."}],[{"start":72.84,"text":"Telegram “failed to remove numerous channels, chats, and bots” used by Ukraine to “prepare and co-ordinate acts of sabotage and terrorism, mass murders, and cyber fraud in the Russian Federation”, the FSB said."}],[{"start":85.96,"text":"The charges can carry a sentence of up to 15 years, with the possibility of being extended to life imprisonment, state news agencies said."}],[{"start":94.16,"text":"Telegram’s press office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the charges and arrest warrant. On Wednesday, the Telegram messenger account on X reshared an old photograph of Durov showing a middle finger to the camera, interpreted by some users as a response to the charges."}],[{"start":110.84,"text":"Earlier this year, two state-run newspapers reported that the FSB had opened an investigation into Durov, claiming that Telegram had been used to organise incidents such as the terrorist attack on Crocus City Hall and the murder of Daria Dugina, the daughter of a prominent supporter of President Vladimir Putin."}],[{"start":128.6,"text":"Durov rejected the accusations at the time, saying that Russian authorities were seeking to “fabricate new pretexts to restrict Russians’ access to Telegram”."}],[{"start":137.68,"text":"On Wednesday, the FSB’s press service shared videos that it claimed were statements by Russians recruited by Ukrainian security services to perform acts of sabotage in Russia, such as arson attacks against petrol stations, via a Telegram dating chatbot."}],[{"start":154.52,"text":"Ukraine has also accused Russian security services of using Telegram to recruit people for acts of sabotage or espionage in the country, offering cash for tasks such as taking pictures of military facilities and troop positions."}],[{"start":168.72,"text":"Russia’s state internet regulator Roskomnadzor began blocking access to Telegram in February this year. Many users in Russia have run into difficulties with using the app, particularly when making calls. But the app is still accessible via VPNs and remains popular despite the Kremlin’s bid to push Russians on to the new state-run messenger app Max."}],[{"start":190.74,"text":"Telegram enjoyed as many as 90mn users a month in Russia before the restrictions and has grown to become one of the most popular apps globally with more than 1bn users, many drawn in particularly by its focus on protecting users’ privacy and anonymity."}],[{"start":206.84,"text":"This focus on privacy has led to accusations that Telegram is used for criminal activities and Durov has increasingly faced pressure from authorities outside of Russia as well."}],[{"start":217.76,"text":"Durov was detained in France in 2024 over allegations that administrators of Telegram were not doing enough to root out criminal activity on the app. Durov, who denied the allegations, was called in for questioning again in France earlier this month, according to a report by Agence France-Presse."}],[{"start":235.44,"text":"British online safety watchdog Ofcom said in April it had launched an investigation into Telegram over allegations that child sexual abuse material was being shared on the app."}],[{"start":250.6,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1785327585_4214.mp3"}