Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of the messaging app Telegram, has been arrested at Bourget Airport near Paris. According to French media, Durov, who is 39 years old, was detained upon his arrival in a private jet from Azerbaijan. A French arrest warrant has reached Durov as part of a preliminary investigation.
The charges brought against Durov by France’s OFMIN (French Office for the Prevention of Violence Against Minors) include fraud, drug trafficking, cyberbullying, and organized crime. This information has been reported by AFP, citing anonymous sources. Durov is also suspected of not taking adequate steps to prevent harmful use of Telegram. French media report that he may face charges as early as Sunday. TF1 TV and BFM TV have reported that the investigation is focusing on the lack of moderators, which police claim has allowed criminal activities to continue unchecked on the messaging app.
One of the investigators stated to AFP that they were surprised Durov entered France despite the arrest warrant, adding, “it’s probably due to Telegram’s impunity.” Telegram, founded in 2013 by Durov and his brother in Russia, now boasts a user base of nearly one billion. Durov left Russia in 2014 to find a new base for his business, which included stays in Berlin and San Francisco. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Telegram became a vital source of unfiltered and often graphic content from both warring parties, and the app is widely used by both Russian and Ukrainian officials, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Due to Telegram’s growing popularity, several European countries, including France, have begun to investigate the app more closely amid concerns about security and data breaches. Russia’s representative to international organizations in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, has criticized France for acting like a “totalitarian” society and warned of the risks of being visible on the international stage.
Several Russian bloggers have also called for protests outside French embassies worldwide. American tech mogul Elon Musk has also criticized Durov’s arrest, commenting that “it’s 2030 in Europe, and you can be executed for liking a meme.”
Telegram has yet to comment on the situation, and the French Ministry of the Interior, as well as the police, have not provided any statements, according to news agency Reuters. Russia is reportedly taking steps to “clarify” Durov’s situation, according to the news agency TASS.