Telegram founder pavel durov said thursday that russia's decision to add him to its terrorists list was in retaliation for his refusal to comply with "government demands for mass surveillance and censorship on the messaging platform.":elegram founder Pavel Durov said Thursday that Russia's decision to add him to its terrorists list was in retaliation for his refusal to comply with "government demands for mass surveillance and censorship on the messaging platform."

According to Anadolu Agency, Durov explained his situation in a message on Telegram, stating, "Russia has recognized me as a 'terrorist' for refusing to comply with its demands for mass surveillance and censorship in Telegram." He further commented on the irony of the situation, noting, "Under Russian law, I am now prohibited from 'disseminating information on the internet.' Russian officials have apparently become confused about who can prohibit whom from using the internet."

Earlier on Thursday, Russia's financial monitoring agency, Rosfinmonitoring, added Durov to its register of terrorists and extremists. This action followed authorities charging him with aiding terror activities and initiating procedures to place him on an international wanted list.

The move by Russian authorities stems from the Federal Security Service (FSB) accusing Telegram of not removing channels, chats, and bots allegedly used by Ukrainian intelligence services and extremist organizations to coordinate attacks and other crimes inside Russia.