Pavel Durov, the billionaire founder and CEO of the Telegram messaging app, was arrested on Saturday evening at the Bourget airport near Paris, according to reports from TF1 TV and BFM TV, which cited unnamed sources familiar with the development.
Founded by Pavel Durov in 2013, Telegram is known for its strong focus on privacy and security. It offers features like Secret Chats, which use end-to-end encryption, self-destructing messages, and the ability to create bots for automating tasks within the app. Telegram has become particularly popular in countries with restricted internet access due to its robust security features and resistance to censorship.
Durov, who has been living outside of Russia since 2014 after refusing to shut down opposition communities on his VK social media platform, was reportedly apprehended while traveling aboard his private jet. TF1 reported that an arrest warrant had been issued in France as part of a preliminary police investigation.
Both TF1 and BFM TV revealed that the investigation centers on Telegram’s alleged lack of content moderation, which authorities believe has enabled criminal activity to proliferate unchecked on the platform. Despite repeated requests, Telegram did not immediately respond to any media house for a comment on the situation. French Interior Ministry and police representatives also declined to comment.
Telegram has played a pivotal role since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, becoming a primary source of raw, and at times, misleading content related to the war and the surrounding political landscape. The app is the go-to communication tool for Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and his administration, while the Kremlin and the Russian government also rely on it to broadcast their messages. For many Russians, Telegram remains one of the few remaining avenues to access information about the conflict.
Durov, whose net worth Forbes estimates at $15.5 billion, has faced pressure from various governments. However, he maintains that Telegram, which now boasts 900 million active users, should remain a “neutral platform” rather than becoming entangled in geopolitical conflicts.
According to TF1, Durov was arrested around 20:00 (18:00 GMT) after arriving from Azerbaijan. In response to the arrest reports, Russia’s embassy in France told the state-run TASS news agency that it had not been contacted by Durov’s team but was taking “immediate” steps to verify the situation.
