Telegram's Billionaire CEO Pavel Durov Arrested in France Over Criminal Activity Probe

Pavel Durov, the billionaire founder and CEO of the messaging app Telegram, was reportedly arrested at Le Bourget Airport near Paris on Saturday night, according to sources from TF1 TV and BFM TV, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Telegram, which is particularly popular in Russia, Ukraine, and former Soviet republics, ranks among the largest social networking platforms alongside Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok, and WeChat. The app is aiming to reach 1 billion users by next year.

Headquartered in Dubai, Telegram was founded by Durov, who was born in Russia. He left Russia in 2014 after refusing to comply with government demands to shut down opposition groups on the social media platform VK, which he also founded, and to sell the platform. According to TF1’s website, Durov was traveling on a private jet when he was arrested, and the French authorities have reportedly targeted him as part of a preliminary police investigation.

Both TF1 and BFM TV indicated that the investigation focuses on Telegram’s lack of content moderation, which the police believe has enabled criminals to use the platform for illegal activities. Telegram did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment. The French interior ministry and police have also not commented on the matter.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Telegram has become a major source of unfiltered—and sometimes graphic and misleading—content from both sides of the conflict. It has also become a key platform for political warfare and information dissemination. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his officials frequently use Telegram for communication, while the Kremlin and Russian government also utilize it to spread news. For many Russians, Telegram remains one of the few platforms where they can access information about the ongoing war.

TF1 reported that Durov had flown in from Azerbaijan and was arrested at approximately 20:00 (18:00 GMT). Durov, whose net worth is estimated by Forbes at $15.5 billion, has stated that while some governments have attempted to hinder his efforts, he remains committed to keeping Telegram a "central platform" for communication rather than a "participatory space."

The Russian Embassy in France informed the Russian state news agency TASS that Durov's team had not initially contacted the embassy after news of the arrest broke, but had reached out later to provide an update on the situation. Russia's representative to international organizations in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, along with several other Russian officials, quickly criticized the French government’s actions, with Ulyanov stating that the situation poses significant safety concerns.

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