Telegram CEO Pavel Durov called his arrest by French police “legally and logically absurd” on Sunday, exactly one year after being detained for four days over alleged criminal activity on his messaging platform.
In an X thread posted one year after his arrest at Le Bourget airport outside Paris, the 40-year-old tech mogul revealed he must still return to France every 14 days with “no appeal date in sight.”
Since his release on €5 million (US$5.8 million) bail, Durov has been permitted to travel briefly to Dubai, where Telegram is headquartered, but remains under judicial supervision.
Durov was initially detained on charges related to alleged criminal activity on his messaging platform, which prosecutors claimed he failed to moderate adequately.
“So far, the only outcome of my arrest has been massive damage to France’s image as a free country,” he tweeted Sunday.
“This legal action against a platform’s CEO over user actions highlights a fundamental tension between legacy legal frameworks and the core Web3 principle of individual sovereignty,” HashKey Group chief analyst Jeffrey Ding told Decrypt.
The case prompts a “broader, global discussion” on the balance between innovation and “regulatory oversight” in the digital ecosystem, he said.
Durov’s arrest immediately impacted crypto markets, causing Toncoin (TON), the native token of The Open Network blockchain, closely affiliated with Telegram, to plummet as news broke.
French authorities detained Durov on charges including complicity in distributing child pornography, narcotics sales, and organized fraud, saying Telegram’s encryption tools were being used without proper government authorization.
The National Anti-Fraud Office accused the platform of refusing to cooperate with law enforcement requests and failing to moderate criminal content.
Durov’s detention drew condemnation from Tesla CEO Elon Musk and ex-NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, compelling President Emmanuel Macron to defend France’s record on free expression.
However, Durov pushed back against these accusations, claiming the French police had made procedural errors that revealed their own incompetence, and “they could have learned the correct procedure simply by googling it or asking.”
The tech executive said Telegram was easy to reach, saying they have “always responded to every legally binding request from France.”
He added that his platform’s “moderation practices align with industry standards,” declaring “we’ll keep fighting—and we will win.”
Kadan Stadelmann, CTO at Komodo Platform, told Decrypt that “governments in Europe are waging an assault on privacy by coercing compliance from platforms that offer users encryption and user autonomy.”
He noted that “Russia and Iran banned Telegram for not handing over surveillance keys,” pointing to a pattern where “governments want to scare developers out of developing encrypted technology that undermines their centralized control.”
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A fake video that ricocheted across the internet claiming tensions between France and the United Arab Emirates after Telegram CEO Pavel Durov’s detention in Paris likely came from Russia, an analysis by The Associated Press shows, despite Moscow’s efforts to maintain crucial ties to the UAE.
It remains unclear why Russian operatives would choose to publish such a video falsely claiming the Emirates halted a French arms sale, which appears to be the first noticeable effort by Moscow to target the UAE with a disinformation campaign. The Emirates remains one of the few locations to still have direct flights to Moscow, while Russian money has flooded into Dubai’s booming real estate market since President Vladimir Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
France, however, remains one of the key backers of Ukraine and its President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as the war grinds on. Meanwhile, Russia likely remains highly interested in what happens to Telegram, an app believed to be used widely by its military in the war and one that’s also been used by activists in the past. And the move comes amid concerns in the United States over Russia, Iran and China interfering in the upcoming U.S. presidential election.
Russia’s Embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment.
The fake video began circulating online Aug. 27, bearing the logos of the Qatar-based satellite news network Al Jazeera and attempting to copy the channel’s style. It falsely claimed the Emirati government had halted a previously announced purchase of 80 Rafale fighter jets from France worth 16 billion euros ($18 billion) at the time, the largest-ever French weapons contract for export. It also sought to link Dubai’s ruler and his crown prince son to the decision, as Durov holds an Emirati passport and has lived in Dubai.
Such a decision, however, was never made. The UAE and France maintain close relations, with the French military operating a naval base in the country. French warplanes and personnel also are stationed in a major facility outside the Emirati capital, Abu Dhabi.
Reached for comment, Al Jazeera told the AP that the footage was “fake and we refute this attribution to the media network.” The network never aired any such claim when reporting on Durov’s detention as well, according to an AP check. On the social platform X, a note later appended by the company to some posts with the video identified it as “manipulated media.”
The video also appeared to seek to exploit the low-level suspicion still gripping the Gulf Arab states following the yearslong Qatar diplomatic crisis by falsely attributing it to the news network. State-funded Al Jazeera has drawn criticism in the past from Gulf nations over its coverage of the 2011 Arab Spring, from the United States for airing videos from al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden and most recently in Israel, where authorities closed its operation over its coverage of the war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The social media account that first spread the video did not respond to questions from the AP and later deleted its post. That account linked to another on the Telegram message app that repeatedly shared graphic images of dead Ukrainian soldiers and pro-Russian messages.
Such accounts have proliferated since the war began and bear the hallmark of past Russian disinformation campaigns.
In Ukraine, the Center for Countering Disinformation in Kyiv, a government project there focused on countering such Russian campaigns, told the AP that the account engaged in “systematic cross-quoting and reposting of content” associated with Russian state media and its government.
That indicates the account “is aimed at an international audience for the purpose of informational influence,” the center said. It “probably belongs to the Russian network of subversive information activities abroad.”
Other experts assessed the video to be likely Russian disinformation.
The Emirati government declined to comment. The French Embassy in Abu Dhabi did not respond to AP’s request to comment.
Durov is now free on 5 million euros bail after being questioned by French authorities and preliminarily charged for allegedly allowing Telegram to be used for criminal activity. He has disputed the charges and promised to step up efforts to fight criminality on the messaging app.
Despite the video being flagged as fake online, captions and versions of the video continue to circulate, showing the challenge of trying to refute such messages. Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov just attended a meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council in Saudi Arabia attended by the UAE. Both Saudi Arabia and the UAE have mediated prisoner exchanges amid the war.
Given those close ties, the UAE likely will or has reached out quietly to Moscow over the video, said Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, a research fellow at Rice University’s Baker Institute who has long studied the region.
“It may be that this is a part of the Russian playbook which is to seek to create wedges between political and security partners, in a bid to create divisions and sow uncertainty,” Ulrichsen said.
“The importance of the UAE to Russia post-2022 does make it unusual, but it may be that the campaign is aimed primarily at France and that any impact on the UAE’s image and reputation is a secondary issue as far as those behind the video are concerned.”
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Associated Press writer Volodymr Yurchuk in Kyiv, Ukraine, contributed to this report.
Paris — French authorities handed preliminary charges to Telegram CEO Pavel Durov on Wednesday for allowing alleged criminal activity on his messaging app and barred him from leaving France pending further investigation. Free-speech advocates and authoritarian governments have spoken in Durov’s defense since his weekend arrest, with the chief Kremlin spokesman in Moscow warning Thursday that the case must “not to run into political persecution.”
“We consider him a Russian citizen and as much as possible we will be ready to provide assistance,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, adding that the Russian government would be “watching what happens next” in the case of the technology entrepreneur. Durov was born in Russia but left the country about a decade ago and now holds citizenship there, as well as in France, the United Arab Emirates and the small Caribbean nation of St. Kitts and Nevis.
The case has called attention to the challenges of policing illegal activity online, and to Durov’s own unusual biography and multiple passports.
Pavel Durov, CEO of Telegram, is seen at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, Feb. 23, 2016.
Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg/Getty
Durov was detained Saturday at Le Bourget airport outside Paris as part of a sweeping investigation opened earlier this year. He was released earlier Wednesday after four days of questioning. Investigative judges filed preliminary charges Wednesday night and ordered him to pay 5 million euros (about $5.5 million) in bail and to report to a police station twice a week, according to a statement from the Paris prosecutor’s office.
The Reuters news agency quoted an unnamed government official in the UAE as saying that country was “in touch with the French authorities about this case,” along with Durov’s representatives, adding that the welfare of UAE citizens was a priority and the government would provide assistance if required.
The allegations against Telegram and Pavel Durov
The French prosecutors’ allegations against Durov include that his platform is being used for criminal purposes, including the propagation of child sexual abuse material and drug trafficking, and that Telegram refused to share information or documents with investigators when required by law.
CBS News senior foreign correspondent Holly Williams said it was important to note that French authorities have not claimed that Durov is or was personally involved in the alleged crimes. They argue instead that his company, which enables users to communicate through encrypted messages, making it difficult for authorities to monitor or review those communications, has not cooperated in other criminal investigations.
The first preliminary charge against him was for “complicity in managing an online platform to allow illicit transactions by an organized group,” a crime that can carry a sentence of up to 10 years in prison and a fine of 500,000 euros, the prosecutor’s office said.
Preliminary charges under French law mean magistrates have strong reason to believe a crime was committed but want to allow more time for further investigation.
David-Olivier Kaminski, a lawyer for Durov, was quoted by French media as saying “it’s totally absurd to think that the person in charge of a social network could be implicated in criminal acts that don’t concern him, directly or indirectly.”
Prosecutors said Durov was, “at this stage, the only person implicated in this case.” They did not exclude the possibility that other people were being investigated, but declined to comment on other possible arrest warrants. Any other arrest warrant would be revealed only if the target of such a warrant is detained and informed of their rights, prosecutors said in a statement to the AP.
French authorities opened a preliminary investigation in February in response to “the near total absence of a response by Telegram to judicial requests″ for data for pursuing suspects, notably those accused of crimes against children, the prosecutor’s office said.
Russia “ready” to help Durov amid its own crackdown on free speech
Durov’s arrest in France has caused outrage in Russia, with some government officials calling it politically motivated and proof of the West’s double standard on freedom of speech. The outcry has raised eyebrows among Kremlin critics as, in 2018, Russian authorities themselves tried to block the Telegram app but failed, withdrawing the ban in 2020.
The Russian government has also implemented a wide range of new laws since it launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 making it illegal to iterate or publish virtually any criticism of the Kremlin’s military or the war, which it refers to as a special military operation.
Hundreds of journalists and democracy advocates have fled Russia in recent years, and many others remain imprisoned on charges stemming from the draconian laws curbing free speech in the country. Russia has also detained a number of foreign journalists who have reported on the war, including Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was convicted on espionage charges before being freed in a prison swap at the beginning of August. The Journal and the U.S. government always dismissed the charges as baseless.
Kremlin spokesman Peskov said he hoped Durov “has all the necessary opportunities for his legal defense,” adding that Moscow stood “ready to provide all necessary assistance and support” to the Telegram CEO but acknowledging the “situation is complicated by the fact that he is also a citizen of France.”
In Iran, where Telegram is widely used despite being officially banned after years of protests challenging the country’s Shiite theocracy, Durov’s arrest drew comments from the Islamic Republic’s supreme leader. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued veiled praise for France for being “strict” against those who “violate your governance” of the internet.
French President Emmanuel Macron insisted Monday that Durov’s arrest wasn’t a political move but part of an independent law enforcement investigation. Macron said in post on X that his country “is deeply committed” to freedom of expression, but that “freedoms are upheld within a legal framework, both on social media and in real life, to protect citizens and respect their fundamental rights.”
The history of Telegram and Pavel Durov in Russia
In a statement posted on its platform after Durov’s arrest, Telegram said it abides by EU laws, and its moderation is “within industry standards and constantly improving.”
“Almost a billion users globally use Telegram as means of communication and as a source of vital information. We’re awaiting a prompt resolution of this situation,” it said.
Telegram was founded by Durov and his brother after he himself faced pressure from Russian authorities. In 2013, he sold his stake in VKontakte, a popular Russian social networking site which he had launched in 2006.
The company came under pressure during the Russian government’s crackdown following mass pro-democracy protests that rocked Moscow at the end of 2011 and 2012.
Durov had said authorities demanded the site take down online communities of Russian opposition activists, and later that it hand over personal data of users who took part in the 2013-2014 popular uprising in Ukraine, which eventually ousted a pro-Kremlin president.
Durov said in a recent interview that he had turned down those demands and left the country.
The demonstrations prompted Russian authorities to clamp down on the digital space, and Telegram and its pro-privacy stance had offered a convenient way for Russians to communicate and share news.
Telegram also continues to be a popular source of news in Ukraine, where both media outlets and officials use it to share information on the war and to deliver missile and air raid alerts.
Western governments have often criticized Telegram for a lack of content moderation.
Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain on Feb. 23, 2016. AOP.Press/Corbis via Getty Images
Pavel Durov, the 39-year-old billionaire founder and CEO of the popular messaging app Telegram, who has historically flown under the radar, suddenly made headlines over the weekend after he was arrested in a Paris airport on Saturday (Aug. 25), according to local media reports that were later confirmed by French law enforcement. The surprise news came after Telegram faced backlash for enabling criminal activities through its encrypted messaging platform, and Durov was reportedly held responsible.
Telegram messages are encrypted, meaning no outside influence—not even the company itself or law enforcement—can see conversations that take place on the app. This has made the platform a center for free speech, particularly in non-democratic countries that stifle news at the state level. The flip side, however, is that Telegram has also become a breeding ground for criminal activities, extremism and disinformation. Durov’s arrest was specifically related to Telegram’s lack of content moderation, which has reportedly led to the propagation of pedophilia.
“Telegram abides byE.U.U laws, including the Digital Services Act,”the company said in a statement on Xon Sunday, adding, “Telegram’s CEO Pavel Durov has nothing to hide and travels frequently in Europe.”
A potential criminal trial could set a precedent in the European Union for executives of social media companies being held responsible for content moderation on their platforms. The most recently passed applicable legislation in theE.U.. is the Digital Services Act (DSA), which aims “to create a safer digital space in which the fundamental rights of all users of digital services are protected,” including stronger protection of children online and less exposure to illegal content. The DSA is generally considered more strict than previous regulations and was pushed over the finish line after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. So far, there have only been two major rulings relating to the DSA. The first, Delfi AS v. Estonia, upheld the online platform Delfi as liable for hate speech. The second, Index.hu Zrt v. Hungary, determined the case to be an infringement on freedom of expression.
“This arrest may break the holding pattern as it has generated a new outbreak of public discourse about encryption and platform responsibility,” Alexander Linton, a director at Oxen Privacy Tech Foundation, a global privacy tech nonprofit based in Australia, told Observer. “Due to uncertainty, people may turn to more resilient alternatives.” Linton explained that one option includes Session, a decentralized, end-to-end encrypted messaging app run by a community of node operators from around the world.
Durov, originally from Russia, founded Telegram in 2013 with his brother, Nikolai Durov. Today, the app has more than950 million active users globally.Durov has been historically secretive about sharing where the company operates over the years. Media reports show Durov has been based out of Dubai since 2017 when he fled Russia after refusing to disclose data to the Russian government. Durov became a naturalized citizen of France and the United Arab Emirates in 2021. Arabian Business named Durov themost powerful entrepreneur in Dubai in 2023. Forbes estimates his net worth to be around $15.5 billion.
For now, Telegram remains operational while French officials investigate the case. French PresidentEmmanuel Macron wrote on X about Durov’s arrest, “It is in no way a political decision. It is up to the judges to rule on the matter.”
Telegram’s cofounder Pavel Durov was arrested on Saturday night after at an airport several miles north of Paris, according to French news outlets BFMTV and TF1. Both outlets report that the billionaire CEO had arrived from Azerbaijan by private jet, and that he was the subject of a French search warrant over the app’s lack of moderators, and its alleged use in drug trafficking, money laundering, and the distribution of child abuse material.
So far, neither French authorities nor Durov have put out statements on the arrest. However, Telegram commented on X, formerly Twitter, that “Durov has nothing to hide,” while Russian officials reportedly condemned the detainment as an attack on free speech. X owner Elon Musk also posted about moderation and free speech following the reports.
A post on Telegram’s X account said the company “abides by EU laws” and its moderation efforts are “within industry standards.” The post continued, “It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform.”
The company added that it is “awaiting a prompt resolution.”
Durov was born in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) and is a naturalized citizen of France and the United Arab Emirates. Before Telegram, the tech executive cofounded VKontakte, Russia’s answer to Facebook. Durov reportedly sold his stake in VKontakte and left Russia in 2014 over state censorship demands. Telegram is currently headquartered in Dubai, and Durov said in April that the app has nearly a billion users.
Durov is 39 years old and worth an estimated $15.5 billion, according to Forbes. In July, the tech executive said he was a sperm donor, had “over 100 biological kids,” and planned to “open-source [his] DNA.”
The price of cryptocurrency Toncoin (TON) has experienced a steep decline following reports of the arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov. Toncoin has been one of the best-performing digital assets in 2024, however, the altcoin has faced a rather turbulent period in the last two months.
Toncoin Reacts To Telegram CEO’s Detention
According to French source TF1 TV on Saturday, Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov was arrested at the Le Bourget airport in France after alighting from his private jet.
Durov, a 39-year-old Russian-born Emirati, has been reportedly detained due to a “lack of control” on Telegram which French authorities believe has fostered the growth of criminal activities on the messaging app. So far, this arrest has drawn much criticism from the tech community including many crypto users who have described such action as the French government attempting to force censorship on a free social media platform.
Notably, Toncoin, the native token of The Open Network (TON) and a cryptocurrency integrated with the Telegram app recorded a 15.67% decline in market price following news of Durov’s arrest.
Toncoin, which was to be initially launched by Telegram before an intervention by US regulators, plays various critical roles in the messaging app in compensating developers, buying ads, and even acquiring a premium subscription. Therefore, the bearish sentiment generated by the Telegram CEO’s detention pulled TON’s market price to as low as $5.52, a price level last seen in early August. Nevertheless, the altcoin appears to have found some stability as it gently moves upwards into the $5.70 zone.
As earlier stated, TON has been one of the most profitable assets in 2024, thus this price dip may not attract much concern from long-term investors.
According to data from CoinMarketCap, TON gained by over 240% in the first six months of 2024 achieving an all-time high of $8.24, alongside a placement in the top 10 cryptocurrencies based on market cap. While the altcoin has not shown similar growth levels in Q3 2024, the consistent growth in on-chain metrics e.g. active network users spell a rise in interest which could significantly affect price growth.
TON Network Calls For Calm Amidst Durov Arrest
Commenting on Pavel Durov’s sudden arrest, the management of The Open Network has assured all users the blockchain remains functional while affirming support for the embattled Telegram CEO. With an online protest already happening on the X social media platform, the TON management has also called for a calm and united approach to engaging authorities and resolving the matter at hand.
At the time of writing, TON trades at $5.72 with an astounding 504.56% increase in daily trading volume. TON ranks as the 9th largest cryptocurrency with a market cap of $1.57 billion.
