Russian authorities have charged Pavel Durov, cofounder of the encrypted messaging platform Telegram, with “aiding terrorism” and issued an international arrest warrant for him. There was no official comment from Durov or Telegram, but Telegram’s official account on X posted a photograph of Durov holding up his middle finger after the charge was announced. Durov, who was born in Russia but now holds Emirati and French ⁠passports, co-founded Telegram in 2013. Before that, he launched Russia’s Facebook equivalent, VKontakte, before selling his remaining stake in 2014 amid pressure from Russian authorities. Nonetheless, some experts have cautioned that this approach has led to Telegram becoming a hotspot for illicit activity and extremism.