Pavel Durov, the Russian-born founder of the popular messaging app Telegram, was arrested at Le Bourget airport outside Paris on Saturday evening. Durov, a 39-year-old billionaire often referred to as “Russia’s Mark Zuckerberg,” was detained shortly after arriving on a private jet from Azerbaijan.
Telegram, in a statement released after midnight Paris time, denied any wrongdoing and said that Durov, who travels frequently in Europe, has nothing to hide.
“It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for the abuse of that platform,” the statement read. “Telegram’s CEO Pavel Durov has nothing to hide and travels frequently in Europe. We’re awaiting a prompt resolution of this situation. Telegram is with you all.”
The arrest prompted a warning from Moscow to Paris that Durov’s rights should be respected, as well as criticism from X (formerly Twitter) owner Elon Musk, who said that free speech in Europe was under attack. While French authorities have not officially commented on the arrest, French news channel franceinfo reported that Durov was still in custody on Monday and could remain detained for up to four days.
The Kremlin said on Monday it did not know what Durov was accused of, and said Russia would wait for an official statement on his detention before commenting further.
Telegram has become a critical source of information during the Russia-Ukraine war, used heavily by both Moscow and Kyiv officials. Some analysts call the app “a virtual battlefield” for the conflict.
Durov, whose fortune is estimated by Forbes at $15.5bn, left Russia in 2014 after refusing to comply with government demands to shut down opposition communities on his VKontakte social media platform, which he eventually sold. He became a French citizen in August 2021 and moved Telegram to Dubai in 2017. He has also reportedly received citizenship in the United Arab Emirates and St. Kitts and Nevis.
Russia began blocking Telegram in 2018 after the app refused to comply with a court order to grant state security services access to its users’ encrypted messages. Despite the action, Telegram remained readily accessible in Russia.
Telegram’s increasing popularity has prompted scrutiny from several countries in Europe, including France, on security and data breach concerns. In May, EU tech regulators said they were in touch with Telegram as it neared a key usage criterion that could see it subject to more stringent requirements under a landmark EU online content legislation.
