Russia has accused Telegram founder Pavel Durov of facilitating terrorism over allegations that the messaging app has been used for recruitment by the Ukrainian secret services.

The FSB, Russia’s national security service, said Telegram had been used “to prepare and coordinate acts of sabotage and terrorism” within Russia and had not removed channels, chats and bots used by Ukraine.

An international arrest warrant has been issued for Durov, who was born in Russia and lives abroad.

Shortly after the charge was announced, the Telegram account on X posted an image showing Durov raising his middle finger. He previously accused Russian authorities of “fabricating new pretexts to restrict Russians’ access to Telegram.”

Telegram is popular in Russia and used by tens of millions of people, although authorities have been restricting access as part of a broader crackdown on internet freedom.

Durov has lived outside Russia for many years and holds French and United Arab Emirates (UAE) passports.

It is unclear whether other countries or authorities would comply with an arrest warrant issued by Russia.