Pavel Durov, the Russian-French billionaire and founder of the Telegram messaging app, was arrested at Bourget Airport near Paris on Saturday evening. The arrest, which took place on his private jet, follows a warrant issued in France as part of a preliminary police investigation.
The probe reportedly focuses on Telegram’s lack of moderation, which authorities believe has allowed criminal activities to proliferate on the platform. Durov may face indictment as early as Sunday, according to French media sources.
Telegram, with nearly one billion users, is a major player in social media alongside platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and WhatsApp. It has significant influence in Russia, Ukraine, and the former Soviet Union.
Durov, who co-founded Telegram in 2013, left Russia in 2014 after refusing to comply with government demands to shut down opposition communities on his previous platform, VKontakte. He has expressed a preference for freedom over compliance, a stance he reiterated in a recent interview with US journalist Tucker Carlson.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Telegram has become a crucial source of unfiltered and sometimes controversial content from both sides of the conflict. The platform has also served as a key outlet for independent news in Russia amid increased government censorship.
The Russian foreign ministry has announced that its embassy in Paris is working to clarify the situation regarding Durov’s arrest.
