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A criminal case has been opened in absentia against the founder of VKontakte and Telegram, Pavel Durov, under the article on “aiding terrorist activities”.
The authorities’ claims against Durov are linked to allegations that the Telegram administration supposedly does not remove channels, chats and bots that are used to prepare “sabotage and terrorist acts”.
In particular, the case refers to the dating bot “Daivinshchik,” where, according to the FSB, Ukrainian intelligence operatives, posing as women, contact young Russian men and recruit them for sabotage and attacks. It has been reported that over the past year, at least 46 young men recruited via “Daivinshchik” have been detained. They are aged from 12 to 22.
What does this mean for the Telegram audience? Is it now unsafe to use?
For the general public, there’s no cause for concern, says an OVD-Info lawyer:
“The accusations against Durov himself (even if there is a future verdict) do not have any consequences for Telegram users. The case is personal to him—this does not mean Telegram as a legal entity is automatically declared extremist.”
At the same time, risks may arise for users of this particular chat bot—they could attract increased attention from law enforcement.
Our colleagues at “Net Freedoms” note that subscribing to “Daivinshchik” and any activity there (sharing messages, likes, comments, and especially sending paid stars and donations) could “create risks of detention, questioning, and the application of various forms of coercion.”
It’s also worth considering that there is a whole ecosystem around the bot—for example, a Telegram channel with 5 million subscribers and a Ukrainian version of the chat. Using these may also be risky.
What’s happening with “Daivinshchik” now?
In December 2025, “Daivinshchik” on Telegram was added to Roskomnadzor’s Unified Register of Prohibited Sites. The stated reason was the alleged presence of child pornography and LGBT “propaganda” in the chat bot.
However, as noted by internet users, the service continues to operate freely on other platforms. For example, the “Leonardo Daivinshchik” dating community on VK has over 13 million users. The service is also available in the “Max” messenger.