Telegram CEO Pavel Durov arrested in France

PARIS,— Pavel Durov, the Russian-born billionaire and founder of the widely-used Telegram messaging app, was detained on Saturday night at Le Bourget airport, located near Paris, upon his arrival on a private jet, Reuters reported.

The arrest of the 39-year-old tech mogul has sparked an outcry from Moscow, with Russian officials urging France to respect his legal rights. Elon Musk, the owner of X (formerly Twitter), has also voiced concerns, suggesting that the arrest marks an assault on free speech in Europe.

Though French authorities have yet to officially confirm Durov’s detention, multiple sources—including two within the French police and one Russian insider—reported that the arrest took place shortly after Durov’s jet touched down, having flown in from Azerbaijan. According to one French police source, law enforcement officers were alerted to Durov’s presence on the flight’s passenger list and acted swiftly due to an outstanding arrest warrant in France.

Telegram, in a statement following Durov’s arrest, emphasized the platform’s compliance with European Union regulations, including the Digital Services Act. “Telegram complies with EU regulations, including the Digital Services Act, and our moderation practices align with industry standards and are constantly being enhanced,” the company stated. “Pavel Durov, Telegram’s CEO, is transparent and regularly travels throughout Europe. The notion that a platform, or its owner, should be held accountable for abuses committed on that platform is absurd.”

Durov, who holds dual citizenship in France and the United Arab Emirates, was detained as part of an ongoing preliminary investigation. French authorities are looking into allegations that Telegram has facilitated a range of criminal activities due to inadequate moderation and insufficient cooperation with law enforcement agencies. A third French police source indicated that a specialized unit within the cybersecurity gendarmerie and France’s national anti-fraud police are leading the investigation, with the case being overseen by an investigative judge specializing in organized crime.

Telegram responded to the unfolding situation by assuring users that they are closely monitoring developments. “We expect a prompt resolution to this matter. Telegram stands with all of you,” the company stated. The French Interior Ministry, police, and Paris prosecutor’s office have all declined to comment on the matter.

In Russia, Durov’s arrest has dominated news coverage, drawing a strong reaction from lawmakers. Maria Butina, a Russian legislator who previously served 15 months in a U.S. prison for acting as an unregistered foreign agent, condemned the arrest, labeling Durov a “political prisoner” and accusing Western nations of conducting a witch-hunt. “Durov is a political prisoner—a victim of a witch-hunt by the West,” she asserted.

Pavel Durov, who launched Telegram after leaving Russia in 2014, has long been a controversial figure. His departure from Russia came after he refused to comply with government orders to shut down opposition groups on VKontakte, the social media platform he founded and later sold. Telegram, which is now based in Dubai, has grown into a major global platform with nearly a billion users, and it plays a particularly influential role in Russia, Ukraine, and other former Soviet republics. It stands among the world’s leading social media platforms, alongside giants like Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok, and WeChat.

Durov’s wealth is estimated by Forbes to be around $15.5 billion. In April, he disclosed that some governments had attempted to pressure him, but he insisted that Telegram must remain a neutral platform, free from geopolitical entanglements. “I would rather be free than take orders from anyone,” Durov remarked in April, reflecting on his decision to leave Russia and find a new home for his company, which has included periods in Berlin, London, Singapore, and San Francisco.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Telegram has become a crucial platform for unfiltered, and at times graphic and misleading, content about the war. The platform is heavily used by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and his officials, as well as by the Russian government, turning it into what some analysts describe as a “virtual battlefield” in the ongoing conflict.

In response to Durov’s arrest, Russia’s foreign ministry has sent a formal note to Paris, demanding access to the entrepreneur, despite his French citizenship. Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev criticized Durov for what he called a miscalculation in leaving Russia, suggesting that Durov believed he would be immune to security demands in other countries. Medvedev, a frequent Telegram user known for his critiques of Western nations, commented that Durov aspired to be a “worldly figure who could thrive without allegiance to a homeland. He miscalculated. To all our common enemies now, he is Russian—and therefore unpredictable and dangerous.”

Telegram faced significant challenges in Russia in 2018 when authorities attempted to block the app after it refused to grant state security services access to its users’ encrypted messages. While the move disrupted many third-party services, it did little to affect Telegram’s availability in Russia. The ban sparked widespread protests in Moscow and drew criticism from human rights organizations.

In light of Durov’s arrest, Elon Musk weighed in on the situation, tweeting, “It’s 2030 in Europe, and you’re being executed for liking a meme.” Outside the French embassy in Moscow, a lone protester held up a sign reading: “Liberté pour Pavel Durov,” symbolizing the growing concern over free speech and digital rights in the current geopolitical climate.

(With files from Reuters)