Pavel Durov, the CEO and founder of Telegram, was arrested by French police at Le Bourget airport, just north of Paris, after his private jet landed.
French media and the BBC report that the 39-year-old is being held on serious charges related to his messaging platform, including allegations of terrorism, money laundering, drug trafficking, and the distribution of child abuse content.
Mario Nawfal, a prominent investor and content curator on X (formerly Twitter), indicated that Durov could potentially face up to 20 years in prison. The charges are reportedly tied to Telegram’s alleged lack of content moderation and Durov’s refusal to cooperate with French authorities.
Durov, a Russian national, founded Telegram in 2013 and left Russia in 2014 after resisting government orders to censor opposition voices on his previous platform, VKontakte, which he later sold. The Russian embassy in France has stated that it is taking “immediate steps” to understand and address the situation.
Telegram, known for its strong encryption and privacy features, is widely used in Russia, Ukraine, and other former Soviet states.
The platform was banned in Russia in 2018 after Durov refused to hand over user data to the government.
Telegram remains one of the top global social media platforms, alongside Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok, and WeChat.