 "Who is Telegram founder Pavel Durov? Why has he been arrested in France?")
Tech entrepreneur Pavel Durov has founded wildly popular social networks as well as a cryptocurrency, amassed a multi-billion-dollar fortune and locked horns with authorities not just in Russia but around the world.
Still a few months shy of his 40th birthday, the man once dubbed the “Russian Zuckerberg” now finds himself under arrest in France after being sensationally detained at a Paris airport this weekend, according to French local media reports, citing unnamed sources.
Here’s all we know about him.
About Pavel Durov
Durov, 39, is an entrepreneur hailing from Russia.
He is the co-founder and owner of messaging app Telegram, a free-to-use platform that competes with other social media platforms such as Facebook’s WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok, and WeChat.
The platform aims to surpass one billion active monthly users within a year.
According to The Economic Times, the tech billionaire is an alumnus of Saint Petersburg State University, where he obtained a first-class Philology degree.
Always dressed in black, he bears a resemblance to the actor Keanu Reeves in the film Matrix.
In 2006, at 22, Durov launched VKontakte (VK), attracting users even while its founder remained a shadowy figure. The social network catered to the needs of Russian-language users and outgunned Facebook throughout the former USSR, as per AFP.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsHe currently lives in Dubai and holds citizenship in France and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), The Guardian reported. He recently said he had tried to settle in Berlin, London, Singapore and San Francisco before choosing Dubai, which he praised for its business environment and “neutrality.”
According to Forbes magazine’s latest estimate, Durov’s fortune is $15.5 billion. But toncoin, the cryptocurrency he created, has plummeted by more than 15 per cent since the announcement of his arrest.
Why Durov left Russia
Durov left Russia in 2014 after refusing to comply with government demands to shut down opposition communities on VKontakte and hand over personal data of users to the Russian security services (FSB), as per several media reports.
He then sold the social media platform, posted a picture of dolphins and the slogan, saying, “So Long and Thanks for All the Fish”, a title in the famous Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy science fiction series.
“I would rather be free than to take orders from anyone,” Durov told US journalist Tucker Carlson in April about his exit from Russia.
In the same interview, Durov said that, beyond money or Bitcoin, he had no major property such as real estate, jets or yachts, as he wanted to be free.
Durov then developed Telegram with his brother Nikolai, a lead developer and programmer, while travelling from country to country and launched the service in 2013.
He settled in Dubai and obtained citizenship of the Caribbean island archipelago of Saint Kitts and Nevis, then, in August 2021, won French nationality following a low-profile procedure about which Paris remains highly discreet, as per AFP.
Durov remained a mercurial and, at times, a mysterious figure, rarely giving interviews and restricting himself to sometimes enigmatic declarations made on Telegram. A self-avowed libertarian, he has championed confidentiality on the Internet and encryption in messaging. He has defiantly refused to allow the moderation of messages on Telegram, which allows users to post video, pictures and comments on “channels” that can be followed by anyone.
Telegram’s controversial role in Russia-Ukraine war
Telegram enjoyed stratospheric success, presenting itself as a champion of individual freedoms, refusing “censorship,” and protecting the confidentiality of its users.
This rankled with authorities, especially in his home country and in 2018, a Moscow court ordered the blocking of the application. But the imposition of the measure was shambolic and three days later, protesters ironically bombarded the FSB headquarters with paper planes, the symbol of Telegram, according to AFP.
Since then, Russia has abandoned its efforts to block Telegram and the messaging service is used by both the Russian government and the opposition, with some channels boasting several hundred thousand subscribers.
Telegram also plays a key role in Russia’s war against Ukraine, documented by bloggers from both sides who post their analyses and videos of the fighting.
Pro-Moscow channels run by so-called “Z-bloggers” who back the war have proved hugely influential and are sometimes critical of Russian military strategy.
The app is especially popular in the former Soviet Union, where it is widely used by the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other politicians to release information about the war. It is one of those few places where people can get unfiltered information about the military operation, especially after the Kremlin tightened media controls.
However, Telegram has also become a safe haven for extremists and conspiracy theorists.
Investigative journalists at the central European news site VSquare say, the social media platform had become the “‘go-to’ tool for Russian propagandists, both leftwing and rightwing radicals, American QAnon and conspiracy theorists,” concluding it was an “ecosystem for the radicalisation of opinion."
He ‘loves the privacy’
Durov eschews traditional media interviews but in April, he sat down with ultra-conservative US journalist Tucker Carlson for an extensive discussion.
People “love the independence. They also love the privacy, the freedom, (there are) a lot of reasons why somebody would switch to Telegram,” Durov told Carlson.
He is also not shy about posting messages on his own Telegram channel, claiming to lead a solitary life, abstaining from meat, alcohol and even coffee.
In July, he boasted of being the biological father of more than 100 children thanks to his sperm donations in a dozen countries, describing this as a “civic duty” in an attitude to parenting that echoes that of a fellow tech mogul, the X and Tesla chief Elon Musk.
The arrest
Durov was arrested at the Le Bourget airport outside Paris on Saturday over alleged offences related to Telegram, as per The Guardian.
He was stopped after arriving in Paris from Baku on his private jet on Saturday night.
His detention was extended beyond Sunday night by the investigating magistrate who is handling the case, the report quoted a source close to the investigation. Notably, the initial period of detention for questioning can last up to a maximum of 96 hours.
When this phase ends, the judge will decide to free him or press charges and remand him in further custody.
The French investigators issued a warrant for the 39-year-old’s arrest as part of an inquiry into allegations of fraud, drug trafficking, organised crime, promotion of terrorism and cyberbullying. Telegram allows groups of up to 200,000 members, which has led to accusations that it makes it easier for false information to spread virally. His app, Telegram allegedly disseminates neo-Nazi, paedophilic, conspirational and terrorist content.
The tech mogul is accused of failing to take action to curb the criminal use of his platform.
“Enough of Telegram’s impunity,” said one investigator, according to The Guardian, who expressed surprise that Durov flew to Paris knowing he was a wanted man.
In a statement on Sunday evening, Telegram said, “Telegram abides by EU laws, including the Digital Services Act – its moderation is within industry standards and constantly improving.
“Telegram’s CEO Pavel Durov has nothing to hide and travels frequently in Europe. It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform. We’re awaiting a prompt resolution of this situation.”
Russian authorities have accused France of “refusing to cooperate.” The Russian embassy in Paris has asked for access to Durov and said France has so far “avoided engagement” in the situation.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry said it was taking steps to “clarify” the situation and questioned whether Western non-governmental organisations (NGOs) would seek his release.
Telegram has long been in the sights of European judicial authorities over allegations that it spreads conspiracy theories, shares calls for murder and hosts drug sales platforms.
Durov, however, insists that he responds to every request to remove content calling for violence or murder.
With inputs from agencies
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