Paris, France — Pavel Durov, the billionaire founder and CEO of Telegram, was detained at Paris-Le Bourget Airport on Friday night after his private jet landed from Azerbaijan, French media outlets reported.
The arrest follows a warrant issued by French authorities accusing Durov of complicity in serious crimes facilitated through his encrypted messaging platform.
Sources close to Durov expressed shock at the French authorities’ decision, labeling it as “Macron’s personal vendetta.”
They emphasized that the timing of the arrest appeared highly suspicious, with BFMTV reporting that Durov was placed on the wanted list just minutes before his plane touched down in Paris, immediately triggering the arrest warrant.
According to TF1, LCI, and BFMTV, the 39-year-old tech mogul was apprehended on charges of complicity in drug trafficking, crimes against children, and fraud. These charges stem from accusations that Durov failed to moderate illegal activities on Telegram and did not cooperate with law enforcement agencies investigating criminal activities conducted via the app.
An anonymous investigator cited by TF1 suggested that Durov is likely to face pre-trial detention. The source further claimed that Durov had knowingly avoided traveling to countries where Telegram was under scrutiny by security forces. “He made a mistake tonight. We don’t know why… Was this flight just a stopover? In any case, he’s in custody,” the source said.
The arrest warrant, however, is reportedly only enforceable within France, raising questions about Durov’s travel decisions.
Telegram, which boasts over 900 million users globally, has gained prominence as a communication tool, especially among Russian speakers. The app has also become a crucial platform for sharing information related to the war in Ukraine, with reports indicating that it is used by the Russian military for communication purposes. Military expert Rob Lee highlighted on X (formerly Twitter) that any significant change to Telegram’s policies could substantially impact the flow of open-source information related to the conflict.
In response to Durov’s detention, Deputy Russian State Duma Speaker Vladislav Davankov appealed to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, urging him to seek Durov’s release. Davankov suggested that the arrest might be politically motivated and intended to gain access to Telegram users’ personal information. “This must not be allowed,” Davankov told the state-run RIA Novosti news agency.
Durov, who was born in Russia and is now based in Dubai, became a naturalized French citizen in August 2021. He is also the founder of VKontakte, Russia’s largest social network, from which he was forced to step down in 2014 after refusing to provide user data to Russian security services.
The French charges against Durov echo concerns expressed by investigative journalist Christo Grozev, who criticized Durov’s refusal to cooperate with any authorities, not just Russian ones. “His non-cooperation with the FSB in favor of free speech is unfortunately completely neutralized by his non-cooperation with anyone to stop Telegram from being used for all these terrible things,” Grozev wrote.
Durov has previously spoken about the pressures he faces from global security agencies. In a recent interview with Tucker Carlson, he claimed that U.S. authorities had attempted to exert control over Telegram during his visits to the country, including efforts to recruit his engineers and install backdoor access to the app.
“We get too much attention from the FBI and other security agencies whenever we come to the U.S.
The last time I was in the U.S., I brought an engineer who works for Telegram.
There was an attempt by cybersecurity officers or agents to secretly hire my engineer behind my back.
They were curious to learn which open-source libraries are integrated into Telegram’s app, and they tried to persuade him to use certain open-source tools that would serve as backdoors.
I personally experienced similar pressure in the U.S. Whenever I would go to the U.S., I would have two FBI agents greet me at the airport, asking questions.
My understanding is that they wanted to establish a relationship to control Telegram better.”
Critics of the arrest argue that Durov’s detention may be linked to his refusal to censor certain content on Telegram, which they claim includes truthful information that challenges various narratives. This perspective suggests that the charges against Durov could be a pretext to suppress free speech and control the flow of information on a platform known for its strong stance on privacy and user autonomy.
As the situation develops, all eyes will be on how French authorities handle the case, given the potential international implications and the massive user base of Telegram.
Source: Agents