On a Saturday evening at 8 pm in France, Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of Telegram, was detained right after he disembarked from his private jet at Le Bourget airport near Paris, coming from Azerbaijan. This incident was first reported by TF1Info, a French news outlet, which mentioned that Durov was accompanied by a bodyguard and a woman, and spent the night in a local jail.
Durov’s arrest follows an arrest warrant from OFMIN, a recently established French law enforcement agency responsible for tackling violence against minors. This arrest is reportedly linked to a preliminary investigation into allegations of drug trafficking, cyberbullying, organized crime, and promoting terrorism on Telegram, a platform Durov claimed in July has around 950 million users.
Despite being on France’s wanted list, it remains unclear why Durov chose to fly into the country. Investigators noted seeing his name on the passenger list for the jet before it landed, as reported by Reuters.
The OFMIN representatives have remained silent on the matter and have directed inquiries to France’s Ministry of Justice, which has yet to comment. The Paris Prosecutor’s Office indicated that an official statement is expected to be released on Monday.
Durov is reportedly in the crosshairs of French authorities both due to lack of moderation on Telegram and lack of cooperation with police requests. Reuters reported that a cybersecurity gendarmerie unit and France’s national anti-fraud police unit were leading the investigation. The investigative judge is also specialized in organized crime.
Telegram did not respond to requests for comment from WIRED. John Hyman, Telegram’s chief investment officer, declined to comment “currently.” The Telegram News channel posted on Sunday evening that it was “absurd” to claim that an owner or its platform were responsible for abuses of that platform, noting that Durov has “nothing to hide” and travels frequently in Europe. “We’re awaiting a prompt resolution of this situation.”
Although France has yet to officially confirm the arrest, the Russian embassy in Paris was quick to accuse French authorities of not clarifying the reasons for Durov’s detention, nor facilitating consular access. “As of today, the French authorities are, at the present time, not cooperating on this issue,” the embassy said in a statement. “We are in contact with P. Durov’s lawyer.” Durov became a French citizen in 2021. Based in Dubai, Durov also has United Arab Emirates citizenship.
Questions over lack of moderation on Telegram have plagued the company for years. Islamist extremists and far-right activists have both organized on the platform, and at times used it to incite violence. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the war in Gaza, Telegram has found itself at the heart of geopolitics—both as a vital source of information for people on the ground and a dangerous source of disinformation and sometimes graphic content. Durov always claims to be “neutral” and to have no political affiliations.
“Civil society has had a complicated relationship with Telegram over the years,” says Natalia Kapriva, a lawyer at the digital rights group Access Now. “We have defended Telegram against attempts by authoritarian regimes to block and coerce the platform into providing encryption keys, but we have also been raising alarms about Telegram’s lack of human rights policies, reliable channel of communication, and remedy for its users.” Kapriva notes that French authorities might pressure Durov to hand over Telegram’s encryption keys to decrypt private messages, “which Russia has already attempted in the past.”
The hashtag #FreePavel is gaining popularity online, including posts from X’s CEO, Elon Musk, who has mentioned Durov’s arrest numerous times. “POV: It’s 2030 in Europe and you’re being executed for liking a meme,” he commented on Saturday in reaction to the news about the Telegram CEO’s detention. “The need to protect free speech has never been more urgent,” stated Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who just recently endorsed Donald Trump for US president, expressing his views on X, describing Telegram as “uncensored” and “encrypted.”
Although often characterized as an encrypted messaging application, messages on Telegram are not end-to-end encrypted by default, with senior executives regarding the platform primarily as a social network. This perception is largely influenced by Channels—a broadcast feature that supports an unlimited number of subscribers and allows widespread view of posts.
A particularly popular post on X was by former right-wing Fox News journalist Tucker Carlson, who recalls the often discussed yet questionable narrative that Durov left Russia due to governmental pressure to take over his company. “But in the end, it wasn’t Putin who arrested him for allowing the public to exercise free speech. It was a western country,” Carlson highlighted in a post that has received at least 5.7 million views so far. Carlson also mentioned a lengthy interview he conducted with Durov earlier this year, one of the few interviews the Telegram CEO has recently given.
In Durov’s absence, the future of Telegram remains a topic of concern. “I am in shock, and everyone close to Pavel feels the same,” stated Georgy Lobushkin, former head of PR at VK, a platform co-founded by Durov. Lobushkin, who stays in touch with Durov, expressed that no one was ready for such a circumstance. When questioned about his concerns over Telegram’s future and potential leadership, he admitted, “[I] worry a lot.”
TF1Info, which initially disclosed Durov’s arrest in France, confirmed that Durov would likely stay in custody throughout the investigation. “Pavel Durov will end up in pretrial detention, that’s for sure,” an unnamed investigator conveyed to the media.
“No one in Telegram was prepared for such a scenario,” mentioned Anton Rozenberg, a former collaborator of Durov at VK since 2007 and later at Telegram from 2016 to 2017. Rozenberg predicted that Durov would secure the finest legal representation available. However, he noted, “But without him, the messenger may face significant management issues, crucial decision-making, and even financial transactions,” due to Durov’s hands-on approach to running the company. Rozenberg did not see a clear successor who could handle the responsibilities that Durov managed, ranging from financing and development strategies to product design, monetization, and content policies.
For the time being, operations are expected to proceed normally, explained Elies Campo, who led Telegram’s expansion, business efforts, and partnerships between 2015 and 2021. “Depending on the duration of this situation, it’s akin to a government structure with its own momentum,” Campo observed, also noting that the company’s modest team size—about 60 employees—ensures that the operational infrastructure will remain stable.
The challenge, Campo concedes, would be if Durov needs to be physically present to pay providers—something Rozenberg also flagged.
“As far as I know, Pavel did the payments,” Campo says. “So what’s going to happen when there needs to be some payments for infrastructure providers, or providers in terms of connectivity—and he’s still under arrest?”
