Telegram messaging app CEO Durov arrested in France

Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov

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Pavel DurovThe Russian-born billionaire founder and owner of the Telegram messaging app was arrested and detained shortly after his private plane landed at Le Bourget airport outside Paris on Saturday night, police sources said.

The arrest of the 39-year-old tech billionaire triggered warnings from Moscow to Paris demanding his rights and criticism from X owner Elon Musk, who said free speech in Europe Under attack.

French officials have not confirmed the arrest, which was also reported by French and Russian media, saying Durov was arrested shortly after arriving at Le Bourget Airport on a private jet from Azerbaijan.

France’s BFM and TF1 said that Durov, who has dual citizenship of France and the United Arab Emirates, was arrested during a preliminary police investigation because Telegram’s lack of administrators and lack of cooperation with the police led to possible criminal conduct. Reuters police sources could not confirm this.

Telegram and senior Telegram managers did not respond to repeated requests for comment. France’s interior ministry, police and Paris prosecutor’s office had no comment. According to French media reports, Durov may face prosecution on Sunday.

Telegram is based in Dubai and was founded by Durov.

Encrypted applications, close to billion usersparticularly influential in Russia, Ukraine and the former Soviet republics. It is listed as one of the major social media platforms after Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok and WeChat.

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Durov, who has a fortune estimated at $15.5 billion by Forbes, said in April that some governments had tried to pressure him but that the app should remain a “neutral platform” and not “geopolitical.” participants”.

Durov came up with the idea of developing an encrypted messaging app as a means of communication at a time when Russia was under pressure. His brother Nikolai designed encryption technology.

“I would rather be free than take orders from anyone,” Durov said in April of leaving Russia and finding a home for his company, which included work in Berlin, London, Singapore and San Francisco.

In the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Telegram has become a major source of unfiltered (and sometimes graphic and misleading) content from both sides about the war and the politics of the conflict.

The platform has become what some analysts call the war’s “virtual battlefield” and is used heavily by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his officials, as well as the Russian government.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said it had sent a note to Paris requesting a meeting with Durov, but said Durov had French citizenship.

Former Russian President Medvedev said it was a mistake for Durov to flee Russia thinking he would never have to cooperate with foreign security services.

Medvedev, who often uses Telegram to criticize and insult the West, said Durov wanted to be “an outstanding ‘man of the world’ who can live a wonderful life without a homeland.”

“He miscalculated,” Medvedev said. “To all our common enemies now, he is Russian – and therefore unpredictable and dangerous.”

Russia began blocking Telegram in 2018 after the app refused to comply with a court order granting state security access to its users’ encrypted messages.

This operation disrupted many third-party services, but Little impact Regarding the availability of Telegram. However, the injunction triggered Massive protests in Moscow and criticism from NGOs.

“Neutral platform”

Durov, who lives in Dubai, was arrested at around 8pm (1800 GMT) after traveling from Azerbaijan, according to French and Russian media reports.

Telegram said it was “committed to protecting user privacy and human rights, such as freedom of expression and assembly.”

Durov has previously accused US law enforcement agencies such as the FBI of trying to install backdoors into the platform. The FBI has not commented on the allegations.