The Telegram messaging app may have ties to Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), according to an investigation.
Independent Russian investigative outlet IStories said it has uncovered evidence suggesting that the platform's server infrastructure is maintained by companies who have collaborated with Russian intelligence services, raising significant concerns about potential government surveillance.
Responding to a request for comment, Telegram's head of Press and Media Relations Remi Vaughn said in a statement to Newsweek: "As a global company, Telegram has contracts with dozens of different service providers around the world. However, none of these service providers have access to Telegram data or sensitive infrastructure.
"All Telegram servers belong to Telegram and are maintained by Telegram employees. Unauthorized access is impossible. Throughout its entire history, Telegram never disclosed any private messages to a third party — and its encryption has never been breached."
In another auto-message sent after reaching out for comment, Telegram said: "Telegram is committed to protecting user privacy and human rights such as freedom of speech and assembly. It has played a prominent role in pro-democracy movements around the world, including in Iran, Russia, Belarus, Myanmar and Hong Kong.
"Pavel Durov is the founder, owner and CEO of Telegram. He left Russia in 2014, after losing control of his previous company for refusing to hand over the data of Ukrainian protesters to security agencies. Pavel Durov lives in Dubai and holds a dual citizenship of the United Arab Emirates and France."
Why It Matters
Telegram has long held a reputation as a secure messaging app, and it is used globally by journalists, activists, and ordinary users seeking privacy. Its founder, Russian-born Pavel Durov, who was detained by French authorities in August 2024, has cultivated an image that the platform protects digital privacy.
The IStories report challenges that image by linking the platform to Russia's FSB, which jails individuals critical of the Kremlin and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
What To Know
Telegram's infrastructure is managed by Global Network Management (GNM), a small firm registered in Antigua and Barbuda, which provides the platform with over 10,000 IP addresses, according to IStories.
GNM's owner, Russian national Vladimir Vedeneyev, previously testified in a U.S. court that he has employees based in Russia. IStories also found that Vedeneyev serves as Telegram's chief financial officer.
Many of these IP addresses were previously owned by Globalnet, a St. Petersburg-based telecommunications operator. IStories reported that Globalnet has connections to the Kremlin and Russian intelligence services, including the FSB.
Electrontelecom, a St. Petersburg-based company, also reportedly provided Telegram with another 5,000 IP addresses, according to IStories, which identified the firm as an FSB contractor.
Electrontelecom has provided services for the installation and maintenance of "a complex system for transmitting classified information from fixed facilities operated by the FSB's Directorate for St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region, which is used to carry out operational investigative activities," it said.
The investigation comes days after Russian human rights NGO First Department warned that the FSB had gained access to Russians' communication with Ukrainian Telegram channels, which provide vital updates and reporting on Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
"We know that by the time the defendants in cases of 'state treason' are detained, the FSB is already in possession of their correspondence. And the fact that neither defendants nor a lawyer are named in the main case allows the FSB to hide how exactly it goes about gaining access to that correspondence," First Department said.
First Department head Dmitry Zair-Bek said that material from Telegram had already been used as evidence in "a significant number of cases."
"On most cases, they have been accessed due to compromised devices. ... However, there are also cases in which no credible technical explanations consistent with known access methods can be identified," he said, Novaya Gazeta reported.
"This could indicate either the use of undisclosed cyber espionage tools or Telegram's cooperation with the Russian authorities, obvious signs of which we see in a number of other areas," Zair-Bek added.
What People Are Saying
Cybersecurity expert Michał Woźniak told IStories that beyond storing decrypted messages, Telegram also attaches a unique device identifier to each message sent on the platform, known as auth_key_id, which can determine where a user is located and reveal their IP addresses.
"If someone has access to Telegram traffic and cooperates with Russian intelligence services, this means that the device identifier becomes a really big problem—a tool for global surveillance of messenger users, regardless of where they are and what server they connect to," Woźniak said.
What Happens Next
Telegram has not commented publicly on the investigation or the allegations. The company is being paid $300 million to roll out Elon Musk's Grok chatbot on the messaging app.
"This summer, Telegram users will gain access to the best AI technology on the market. @elonmusk and I have agreed to a 1-year partnership to bring xAI's @grok to our billion+ users and integrate it across all Telegram apps," Durov announced on May 28.
