Founder and CEO of Telegram Pavel Durov, Photo Credit: Reuters
Pavel Durov, the billionaire founder and CEO of the Telegram messaging app, was arrested at Bourget Airport near Paris on Saturday evening, according to French media reports.
Durov, who was traveling on his private jet from Azerbaijan, was detained as part of a preliminary police investigation focused on Telegram’s role in facilitating criminal activity due to a lack of moderation on the platform.
French television channels TF1 and BFM reported that Durov was the target of an arrest warrant in France, with authorities concerned that Telegram’s insufficient moderation has allowed illegal activities to thrive on the platform. The investigation into Telegram’s moderation practices is ongoing, and Durov faces the possibility of indictment as early as Sunday.
Telegram, which Durov founded with his brother in 2013, has grown into a major social media platform with nearly one billion users, particularly influential in Russia, Ukraine, and other former Soviet states. The encrypted messaging app has become a significant tool in the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, with both sides using it to share unfiltered and sometimes misleading information about the war. As one of the few platforms where Russians can access independent news about the war, Telegram has come under intense scrutiny from governments concerned about the spread of misinformation and criminal activity.
Durov, who left Russia in 2014 after refusing to comply with government demands to shut down opposition communities on his earlier social media platform, VKontakte, has long positioned Telegram as a neutral platform. “I would rather be free than to take orders from anyone,” Durov said in an April interview with U.S. journalist Tucker Carlson, explaining his decision to leave Russia and the challenges of finding a safe base for his company.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Telegram has played a crucial role in the information war, used extensively by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian officials alike. The platform’s ability to allow users to evade official scrutiny has made it a vital source of information for those seeking independent news in Russia, where the Kremlin has tightened its grip on media outlets.
The Russian government has had a contentious relationship with Telegram. In 2018, Russia attempted to block the app after Durov refused to grant state security services access to users’ encrypted messages. The move sparked mass protests in Moscow and widespread criticism from NGOs, but ultimately had little effect on the availability of Telegram in Russia.
In response to Durov’s arrest, the Russian foreign ministry announced that its embassy in Paris was seeking clarification on the situation and urged Western non-governmental organizations to demand his release. Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia’s representative to international organizations in Vienna, criticized France for what he described as authoritarian behavior, drawing a parallel to Russia’s own previous attempts to control Telegram.
The arrest has also sparked international reactions. Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of X (formerly known as Twitter), commented on the situation, saying, “It’s 2030 in Europe and you’re being executed for liking a meme.” Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who recently ended his U.S. presidential campaign to endorse Donald Trump, also weighed in, stressing the urgent need to protect free speech.
Telegram has not yet responded to requests for comment on Durov’s arrest. The French Interior Ministry and police have also declined to comment. The arrest has already led to calls for protests at French embassies around the world, with some Russian bloggers urging supporters to demonstrate at noon on Sunday.