Who is Telegram’s CEO Pavel Durov

Pavel Durov, the 39-year-old Russian-born founder and CEO of the messaging platform Telegram, was detained at Paris’s Bourget Airport on Saturday evening, according to reports from TF1 TV and BFM TV.

The reason for Durov’s detention remains unclear, but speculation centers on concerns over Telegram’s moderation practices and the platform’s inability to prevent criminal activities.

Pavel Durov

Russian-born Pavel Durov, 39, is the founder and owner of Telegram, which competes with platforms such as WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok and WeChat.

Durov’s platform aims to surpass one billion active monthly users within a year.

Telegram has become an influential platform in Russia, Ukraine and the republics of the former Soviet Union, and a critical source of information in the Russian-Ukrainian war.

It is heavily used by both Moscow and Kyiv authorities. Some analysts call the app a virtual battlefield for war.

Forbes puts Durov’s fortune at around $15.5 billion.

Durov fled Russia in 2014, refusing to comply with government demands to shut down opposition communities on the social media platform VKontakte, which he owned.

In 2017, Durov moved Telegram and himself to Dubai, becoming a French citizen in 2021. According to French media, he also obtained United Arab Emirates citizenship.

According to media reports, he is also a citizen of the Caribbean twin island nation of St. Kitts and Nevis.

“I would rather be free than to take orders from anyone,” Durov told U.S. journalist Tucker Carlson in April about his exit from Russia and search for a home for his company which included stints in Berlin, London, Singapore and San Francisco.

Russia began blocking Telegram in 2018 after the app refused to comply with a court order to grant state security services access to the encrypted messages of its users.

This action had little impact on Telegram’s availability there.

Telegram’s growing popularity has led to scrutiny over security and data breach concerns in several countries in Europe, including France.

In May, EU technology regulators said Telegram was approaching a key usage benchmark where it could be subject to stricter requirements under EU online content legislation.

“I would rather be free than take orders from anyone,” Durov said of his departure from Russia and the time he spent in Berlin, London, Singapore and San Francisco as he searched for a new home for his company.