Russia's Federal Security Service charged Telegram founder Pavel Durov with aiding terrorism Wednesday and placed him on an international wanted list, escalating a criminal case Moscow first opened against the billionaire messaging app owner in February. If convicted, Durov could face up to life in prison in Russia. There was no immediate comment from Durov or Telegram, though Telegram's official account on X posted a photo of Durov making an obscene gesture shortly after the charges were announced. He has said he faced coercion at the time to give Russian authorities access to the accounts of Ukrainian pro-democracy activists and left the country rather than comply. Durov, who now holds Emirati and French citizenship, co-founded Telegram in 2013 and has run the platform from outside Russia since.