Russia has charged Telegram's founder Pavel Durov with facilitating terrorism over allegations the messenger app has been used for recruitment by Ukrainian secret services. Shortly after the charge was announced, Telegram's account on X posted an image showing Durov holding up his middle finger. He has previously accused Russian authorities of "fabricating new pretexts to restrict Russians' access to Telegram". Multi-billionaire Durov, 41, has lived outside of Russia for many years and holds French and United Arab Emirates (UAE) passports. Durov left Russia in 2014 after refusing to comply with government demands to shut down opposition communities on the platform.