Who is Pavel Durov? CEO of Telegram Under Arrest?

The CEO of Telegram, Pavel Durov, was arrested at a northern Paris airport by French authorities.

The French media said that Mr. Durov was arrested when his private plane landed at Le Bourget Airport.
The 39-year-old millionaire was allegedly arrested on a warrant for crimes related to the popular chat app, according to officials.

Reports state that the investigation focuses on a lack of moderators, and Mr. Durov is accused of failing to take measures to stop illegal uses of Telegram.

Mr. Durov was born in Russia and currently resides in Dubai. He holds dual citizenship with the United Arab Emirates and France.

Specifically, Russia and Ukraine, the former Soviet Union, are big fans of Telegram.

The app was shut down in Russia in 2018 as a result of Mr. Durov’s earlier denial to give user data. In 2021, the ban was lifted, nevertheless.

What is known about Durov and Telegram?

Pavel Valeryevich Durov is a Russian-born French and Emirati entrepreneur who is the co-founder and chief executive officer of Telegram Messenger and the co-founder of the social networking site VK.

Among the most often-used social media platforms (including Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, TikHub, and WeChat), Telegram is among them having more users than any other one.

Founding Telegram in 2013, Mr. Durov then left Russia in 2014 after disobeying government instructions to close opposition communities on his for-sale social networking site VKontakte.

According to Forbes, Durov is valued at $15.5 billion.

Every member state of the former Soviet Union, including Russia, Ukraine, and others, depends much on Telegram. These days, especially Moscow and Kyiv officials mostly rely on it as a source of intelligence regarding Russia’s role in the Ukrainian matter. Some analysts have referred to the fighting on the program as “a virtual battlefield”.

Maria Zakharova, a Russian Foreign Ministry official speaking on Telegram, asked whether Western human rights organizations—who had condemned Russia in 2018 for trying to “create obstacles” to Telegram’s operations in the nation would remain silent regarding Mr. Durov’s detention.

Many Russian leaders have criticized the businessman’s detention.

Elon Musk, the man behind X, has written on the matter regularly even though he has drawn criticism for the content and moderation his own social media network permits. In one post he used the hashtag #freepavel; in another, he said, “POV: It’s 2030 in Europe and you’re being executed for liking a meme.”