Pavel Durov arrested in France: Everything you need to know about the Telegram founder

Pavel Durov, the billionaire founder of the Telegram app, was arrested by French authorities at an airport outside Paris on Saturday evening, a CNN report cited.

The arrest followed a French arrest warrant against Durov on allegations that Telegram’s lack of moderation facilitated illegal activities such as money laundering, drug trafficking and the distribution of paedophile content.

Here you will find everything you need to know about Telegram founder Pavel Durov.

Pavel Durov, 39, is the founder and owner of Telegram, a popular messaging app that competes with major platforms such as Meta’s WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok and China’s WeChat. The app is expected to surpass the one billion monthly active users mark next year.

“I don’t take orders from anyone”: Telegram CEO

Pavel Durov was born and raised in Russia. He left his home country in 2014 after defying government demands to shut down opposition groups on VKontakte, a social media platform he had previously founded and later sold. Telegram was blocked in Russia in 2018 for not allowing state security services access to encrypted messages, sparking protests and criticism. Upon his departure from Russia, Durov had stressed that he preferred freedom to life in his country. “I would rather be free than take orders from anyone,” Durov was reportedly quoted as saying in 2014. Sources cited by French media and reported by The Moscow Times said Telegram’s moderation issues enabled these criminal activities. BFMTV, a CNN affiliate, noted that Durov’s lack of cooperation with law enforcement contributed to the charges against him.

Rise and fall of the Telegram founder

Forbes estimates Pavel Durov’s net worth at $15.5 billion. However, increased scrutiny of Telegram and Durov by European authorities has brought him this apparent fate of imprisonment.

The platform’s rising popularity has led to increased attention in several European countries, including France, over concerns about security and privacy. The European Union’s technology regulators have contacted Telegram to discuss its compliance with new online content legislation.

Telegram boss Durov accused of drug trafficking

The Moscow Times reported that the French arrest warrant against Durov includes charges of aiding and abetting drug trafficking, crimes against children and fraud, among others, due to moderation issues on Telegram and his alleged lack of cooperation with law enforcement.

Telegram is highly influential in Russia, Ukraine and other former Soviet republics. It has become a key source of information about Russia’s war in Ukraine and is widely used by officials in both Moscow and Kyiv. Analysts describe Telegram as a “virtual battlefield” in the ongoing conflict.