CEO of Telegram messaging app, Durov, has been apprehended in France

The inventor and owner of the messaging service Telegram, Pavel Durov, is a Russian millionaire. He was taken into custody at Le Bourget airport outside of Paris immediately after landing on a private plane late on Saturday, three sources told Reuters.

The 39-year-old tech billionaire’s detention on Sunday led to condemnation from Elon Musk, the owner of X, who claimed that free speech in Europe was being attacked, as well as a warning from Moscow to Paris that he should be granted his rights.

Durov was detained soon after landing on a private plane from Azerbaijan at Le Bourget airport, according to two French police sources and one anonymous Russian source. However, France has not formally confirmed the detention.

According to one of the two French police sources, officers rushed to arrest him because he had an outstanding arrest warrant in France when they saw he was on the passenger list before to the jet’s arrival.

According to a third French police source, Durov—who holds dual citizenship with the United Arab Emirates and France—was detained as part of an initial police probe into allegations that he tolerated a variety of crimes since there weren’t enough moderators on Telegram and he didn’t cooperate with the authorities.

According to that source, the probe is being led by France’s national anti-fraud police unit and a cybersecurity gendarmerie team. The investigative judge specializes in organized crime.

Requests for response from Telegram and top Telegram managers were not answered. The Paris prosecutor’s office, the police, and the French Interior Ministry all remained silent. It is conceivable that Durov may be charged on Sunday, according to French media.

Rep. Maria Butina of Russia, who served as an unregistered Russian spy and was imprisoned in the United States for 15 months, stated that Durov “is a political prisoner – a victim of a witch-hunt by the West.” In Russia, the arrest of Durov dominated news reports.

Durov, who fled Russia in 2014 after being ordered to close down opposition communities on his since-sold social media company VK, launched Telegram, which is headquartered in Dubai.

With almost a billion users, the encrypted software is especially popular in Russia, Ukraine, and the former Soviet Union’s republics. It comes in second place among the main social media networks, after WeChat, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, YouTube, and TikTok.

TELEGRAM

Forbes estimates Durov’s wealth at $15.5 billion. He stated in April that while certain countries have tried to exert pressure on him, the app should continue to be a “neutral platform” and not a “player in geopolitics”.

As he was under pressure in Russia, Durov came up with the concept of an encrypted messaging app as a means of communication. Nikolai, his younger brother, created the encryption.

In April, Durov stated, “I would rather be free than to take orders from anyone,” regarding his decision to leave Russia and look for a new location for his business, which included stays in Berlin, London, Singapore, and San Francisco.

Telegram has emerged as the primary platform for uncensored, often explicit, and sometimes inaccurate communication from both sides regarding the war and the politics underlying it, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The site, which is actively utilized by both the Russian government and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and his staff, has evolved into what some experts refer to as “a virtual battlefield” for the conflict.

The Russian foreign ministry said that, despite Durov’s French citizenship, it had written to Paris requesting access to him.

Dmitry Medvedev, the former president of Russia, claimed that Durov erred in believing that he would never have to work with foreign security agencies after leaving Russia.

Medvedev stated that Durov aspired to be a “brilliant’man of the world’ who lives wonderfully without a Motherland.” Medvedev frequently uses Telegram to belittle and criticize the West.

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

In 2018, Telegram was blocked in Russia after the app disobeyed a court order that gave state security authorities access to encrypted conversations sent by its users.

Although several third-party services were disrupted, Telegram’s availability was mostly unaffected. NGOs criticized the ban order, nevertheless, and it also triggered large-scale protests in Moscow.

“NEUTRAL PLATFORM”

Telegram states that it “is committed to protecting user privacy and human rights such as freedom of speech and assembly.”

In the past, Durov has said that American law enforcement organizations, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), are attempting to get access to the platform through a backdoor. Regarding such claims, the FBI has remained silent.

However, because to security and data breach worries, some European nations, notably France, have begun to closely monitor Telegram as its popularity grows.

Following news of Durov’s arrest, billionaire Elon Musk, the owner of the social media company X (previously known as Twitter), remarked, “It’s 2030 in Europe and you’re being executed for liking a meme.”

A lone protestor with a sign that said “Liberté pour Pavel Durov” stood outside the French embassy in Moscow.