Russia fined Telegram $ 80,000, action taken over anti-government content

A Moscow court fined Telegram Messenger 7 million rubles, which is approximately $ 80,000. It comes in the wake of reports that Telegram had turned down calls to delete anti-government and extremist materials. It was reported by Russian news agency TASS, citing court papers.

According to TASS, the court said, "Telegram Messenger, which has failed to remove information and channels that contained material inciting extremist activities." These contents included messages inspiring people to participate in demonstrations against the Russian government, support the Ukrainian army, and terrorist attacks on railway transport.

Russian-born entrepreneur Pavel Durov's Telegram is now headquartered in Dubai. Telegram hasn't made any public statement yet on the fine or the ruling by the court, though the messaging service is overwhelmingly popular in Russia and has previously come under government surveillance and pressure.

The report also states that Pavel Durov, who lived in France for some time, returned to Dubai in March 2025. Earlier, in August 2024, he was arrested and investigated on serious charges such as fraud, money laundering, and dissemination of child sexual abuse material through Telegram.