Pavel Durov in France: What is wrong with Telegram founder arrest
Pavel Durov arrest explained
In August 2024, the founder of the Telegram messenger, Pavel Durov, was detained at Le Bourget Airport in France after arriving from Azerbaijan. The arrest was made on the basis of a warrant issued by the French prosecutor’s office — allegedly due to Telegram’s refusal to respond to legal requests regarding its users. Since then, Durov has remained in France and only now has agreed to share the full story of his arrest and stay in the country.
As it turned out, at the time of his detention, no legally valid requests had been sent in accordance with EU law. According to Durov, such requests only began arriving after the arrest. And once official judicial orders were received, Telegram started providing data — phone numbers and IP addresses — that genuinely help identify criminal suspects.
«I still don’t understand why all this started,» he wrote in a post on X. «At first they said we hadn’t responded to requests, but they hadn’t actually sent any.»
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A French court set Durov’s bail at €5 million and barred him from leaving the country until the investigation is complete. Meanwhile, France accounts for less than 1% of Telegram’s global user base. Why this happened there — remains a mystery.
No smartphone, just a laptop
In a lengthy interview with journalist Tucker Carlson, Durov spoke not only about his arrest but also about his vision of security, freedom, and managing a digital business. He said he rarely uses a phone—only a few times a week to test Telegram features. Instead, he prefers a laptop and tablet to stay focused and avoid becoming a target.
At one point, Durov wanted Telegram to be based in the U.S. But after attempting to open an office in San Francisco, he says, intelligence agencies began to monitor him. On one occasion, three strangers tried to snatch his phone. The FBI repeatedly approached him and even attempted to recruit a Telegram engineer to insert backdoors into the messenger’s code.
Unsurprisingly, Durov ultimately abandoned the idea of operating in the U.S. Today, Telegram is based in Dubai, which he praises for its tax system, infrastructure, and neutrality. There, he feels free and experiences no pressure from the authorities.
Neutrality as a core principle of Telegram
According to Durov, he refuses to take sides in political conflicts. For example, he mentioned the 2021 Capitol riot. After the events, U.S. Democrats demanded that Telegram hand over the demonstrators’ data. Republicans, in turn, claimed that doing so would violate the Constitution. Telegram’s team ignored both sides.
«We don’t want to be a political player. If you choose a side, your users have to choose it too,» he explained. Durov sees Telegram’s mission in exactly that: to be a platform where people with opposing views can find common ground.
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Against Big Tech censorship
A completely different story is Durov’s relationship with Apple and Google. Both companies have the power to remove Telegram from their app stores if it fails to comply with their policies. And while the messenger is still available, Durov doesn’t rule out future conflicts. He notes that the biggest threat to freedom today doesn’t come from governments — it comes from tech giants.
Still, Telegram keeps growing. Over 2.5 million users sign up every day, and reaching one billion monthly active users is a realistic goal for the next year. All without marketing spend or venture capital. The team consists of just 30 people, personally selected by Durov. There is no HR department.
«It’s not a team — it’s a squad of Navy SEALs,» he jokes.
Durov has deliberately avoided raising venture funds to preserve independence — and refuses to sell shares in the company. Instead, Telegram has only issued bonds and made one attempt at launching a crypto project.
Telegram will remain independent — that’s the founder’s stance. Durov doesn’t own villas, yachts, or private jets. His net worth is a few hundred million dollars, most of it in crypto. The rest is invested in the work.
And although Durov remains in France, without the right to leave, he doesn’t seem to be stopping. For him, freedom is not a place of residence, but an inner state. And it is for this freedom that he continues to fight — in the code, in words, and in the daily practice of Telegram.
