Pavel Durov was detained on Saturday night after arriving at Le Bourget airport near Paris on his private jet.
In Moscow, solo protesters have assembled outside the French embassy, demanding the release of Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov. The demonstration featured paper airplanes resembling Telegram’s logo placed on the ground. Protester Vlad Mazur carried a sign urging the French authorities “not to follow in Putin’s footsteps” and to uphold freedom of speech. Mazur was subsequently detained by police.
Durov, who was born in Russia and also holds French citizenship, has been subject to an arrest warrant in France. The investigation centers on allegations that Telegram lacks sufficient moderation, potentially facilitating criminal activities such as drug trafficking and child exploitation on the platform.
His arrest has raised significant concern among tech industry figures and advocates of internet freedom. Telegram, boasting nearly one billion users, is renowned for its emphasis on privacy and encryption, which have both contributed to its popularity and its controversy. It ranks alongside major social media platforms like Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok, and WeChat.
The app’s influence is particularly prominent in Russia, Ukraine, and former Soviet republics. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, Telegram has served as a key source of unfiltered war coverage and political discourse, though it has also been a conduit for misinformation. Analysts describe it as a “virtual battlefield,” used extensively by both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian officials.
Despite its prominence, Telegram does not fully comply with European Union regulations, resulting in temporary suspensions in some EU countries, such as Spain.
Durov co-founded Telegram with his brother in 2013. After leaving Russia in 2014 due to his refusal to comply with government demands to shut down opposition communities on his VKontakte social media platform, which he later sold, Durov sought new locations for his company, including Berlin, London, Singapore, and San Francisco.
In an April interview with US journalist Tucker Carlson, Durov explained his departure from Russia and his quest for a new base for his company, stating, “I prefer to be free than to take orders from someone.”
(euronews)