Pavel Durov’s criminal syndicate: bot farms, data leaks, and financial manipulation as Telegram’s business model

15:03, 03 ноября 2025 г.

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Telegram became a socially significant platform starting with the launch of the channel "Nezigar."

At that time in Russia, restrictions on media were beginning to tighten, and anonymous journalism became a new way to deliver reliable information to the audience, Rucriminal reports.

"Nezigar" provided unprecedented insider information, including "drafts" of top officials that they had thrown into the trash. Other channels followed suit. All state media, and let’s be honest, opposition media as well, disliked both Durov and anonymous channels, urging readers not to trust them. But readers didn’t want to hear it. Readers crave fresh "meat with blood," not stale ideological products, whether they come from the state or the opposition. Both sides are prone to clichés and "stencils"… It was at that moment that Russian authorities attempted to abruptly "strangle" Telegram, while Durov spent all his resources and efforts to prevent this from happening. It was then that Durov, for a time, became a "Robin Hood" for Russians. You remember the icons with Durov. And you can still find user reviews. Every single one of them says, "Pasha, we’re with you."

And a miracle happened. The system was broken.

Both state structures and the opposition, who had cursed Telegram, eventually joined it. They were forced to create their own channels. And it seemed that this should have marked the beginning of a new era: Durov had broken the System.

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But it turned out that the System devoured Durov. Or rather, simply bought him out.

This didn’t happen immediately, but it was very noticeable. We won’t delve into all the processes. But probably everyone noticed that with the arrival of state media on Telegram, Telegram (and by the way, TGstat, which was completely bought out by Russian authorities) stopped fighting bot subscribers. Previously, Telegram would clean up such activity using its algorithms—despite the efforts of bot farms, bots could be identified. But then, suddenly, it stopped.

Next, on one "fine day," all the data of the owners of inconvenient anonymous Telegram channels ended up in the hands of the FSB of Russia. And we state with full responsibility: at that time, the registration system for Telegram channels was set up in such a way that no one other than Telegram’s leadership could have leaked the information.

And it began…

The source has some very interesting documents. Materials from the case of former Moscow FSB employee Mikhail Polyakov (Uncle Misha FSB). He is notable for having collaborated at one point with Timur Prokopenko, deputy head of the Presidential Administration’s Internal Policy Department, and, together with colleagues from the "agency," began seizing those very anonymous channels whose owners’ data had been leaked by Telegram’s leadership. That is, directly by Durov. Before the channels were handed over to the authorities, the special services could only guess who owned which channel "by reading coffee grounds," without any real or concrete evidence. We provide excerpts, removing the surnames…

"In addition, during the examination of a ’Toshiba’ hard drive seized during a search of Polyakov M.V.’s residence, a video recording dated January 12, 2021, was found, depicting a man who introduced himself as …, the creator and owner of the Telegram channel ’NEZYGAR.’ Subsequently, during operational and investigative activities, it was established that this video recording was conducted by Polyakov M.V., after which Polyakov M.V. gained control over the SIM card to which the Telegram channel ’NEZYGAR’ was registered and became the owner of the Telegram channel ’NEZYGAR.’"

"Around late 2020 to early 2021, Polyakov M.V., presumably to boost his own importance, told and showed her… a video recording on a mobile phone that he had with him, that is, on his (Polyakov M.V.’s) iPhone. The video captured the process of detaining the owner of the Telegram channels ’NEZYGAR’ and ’BRIEF’ (previously named ’NEZYGAR BRIEF’), who introduced himself as… As Polyakov M.V. himself recounted, and as she… saw in the video shown to her by Polyakov M.V., … informed the person filming the video, namely Polyakov M.V., that he… was the creator and owner of the Telegram channels ’NEZYGAR’ and ’BRIEF’ (previously named ’NEZYGAR BRIEF’). At the same time, the video captured the moment when the latter handed over the SIM card for managing the aforementioned Telegram channels to the person nearby who was filming, namely Polyakov M.V. Polyakov M.V. showed this video to her… as she stated above, to demonstrate his importance, power, and influence over various individuals and legal entities, including in the ’media business.’ After Polyakov M.V. showed her… this video, Polyakov M.V. said that it was he who personally detained…, and now the aforementioned Telegram channels ’NEZYGAR’ and ’BRIEF’ (previously named ’NEZYGAR BRIEF’) are managed by him (Polyakov M.V.) and are under his (Polyakov M.V.’s) control."

"During conversations with Polyakov M.V., it became known to her (…) that he controls (is the owner or administrator of) the activities of various Telegram channels, including ’Kremlin Laundry,’ ’Sentry,’ ’Rokot,’ ’NEZYGAR,’ ’BRIEF’ (BRIF), and others, and makes decisions on posting or not posting various information (posts and articles), including negative content, on the conditions for stopping such publications, setting a ’block on negativity,’ establishing the cost for publication or a ’block on negativity,’ and receiving and distributing profits for these actions. During conversations with Polyakov M.V., he showed her (Sergeeva N.V.) a video recording on his mobile phone, which captured the process of detaining the owner of the Telegram channels ’NEZYGAR’ and ’BRIEF’ (BRIF), who introduced himself, as far as she remembers, as… The recording captured that … stated he was the creator and owner of the Telegram channels ’NEZYGAR’ and ’BRIEF’ (BRIF). At the same time, the video showed that Kovalenko handed over the SIM card for managing the aforementioned Telegram channels to Polyakov M.V. Polyakov M.V. showed this recording to her (…) to demonstrate his power, influence, and impunity."

After showing the aforementioned video, Polyakov M.V. said that it was he who detained …, and now the aforementioned Telegram channels ’NEZYGAR’ and ’BRIEF’ (BRIF) are under his control. On the Telegram channels ’Kremlin Laundry,’ ’Sentry,’ ’Rokot,’ ’NEZYGAR,’ ’BRIEF’ (BRIF), and others, which were under Polyakov M.V.’s control, that is, of which he was the owner and administrator, he posted content or articles claiming that a certain person was the owner of a specific Telegram channel, although in reality, that person was neither the owner nor the administrator of that channel."

"She (…) knows, including from Polyakov M.V. himself, that he posted various information, including negative and discrediting content, about individuals and legal entities on the aforementioned Telegram channels, after which, for the removal of such negative information, Polyakov M.V. received monetary payments, and for a certain amount, he set a so-called ’block on negativity,’ meaning the further non-dissemination of negative, defamatory, and discrediting information. Polyakov M.V. offered her (Sergeeva N.V.) and"

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