Durov “blocked”: what is known about the arrest of the founder of Telegram before August 27

The case against the businessman was opened on July 8, but he was arrested on the evening of August 24 when he was leaving his commercial plane at Le Bourget Airport in Paris. Durov, a 39-year-old bachelor, flew to France from Azerbaijan accompanied by a companion. According to Le Figaro, we are talking about streamer Yulia Vavilova, who is 24 years old. The girl traveled with a billionaire through the CIS countries. Durov was also accompanied by a bodyguard. Both were questioned and released, but Pavel was asked to “stay.” Durov is supposed to remain behind bars until August 28, after which he should be charged.

“In any case, he is locked up and will be arrested in France!” said a source from the public television channel TF1 on August 24.

• The billionaire was declared persona non grata in France and until recently the businessman avoided visiting the country, the same TV channel reported. It is not known why Durov finally decided to go to Paris. According to one version, his partner Yulia might have invited him to “have dinner in Paris”; according to another, the businessman wanted to negotiate something with the authorities.
• Information began to spread on Telegram channels that before his trip to France, supposedly to Baku, Durov could have met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which became the catalyst for the businessman’s case in the EU.

Official information about Durov

Russian President Dmitry Peskov’s press secretary denied reports of Putin’s meeting with Durov. Moreover, on August 26, Peskov made no statement on the detention of a Russian citizen until he received official clarifications from France. On the evening of the same day, the first official comments from the Parisian side were made: the prosecutor’s office revealed the details of the investigation, and French President Emmanuel Macron said that the case was not politically motivated.

Since Durov is also a citizen of Russia, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov spoke about his fate on August 27. According to the official, relations between Moscow and Paris are at an all-time low, also because of France’s position on the issue of freedom of speech. Lavrov added that the Russian Federation’s note on Durov’s access to France is being studied and that the Telegram platform is convenient and “truly protected.” Lavrov believes that the French authorities detained Durov “on someone’s advice,” hoping to gain access to encryption codes.

According to Peskov, the charges against him are indeed very serious and require an equally serious evidentiary basis.

“Otherwise, there will be a direct attempt to restrict freedom of communication. We can say that even direct intimidation of the director of a large company. That is, the policy will be obvious,” said the spokesman of the Russian president.

The United States reacted to the arrest of the Russian billionaire, although not at an official level. Elon Musk called Durov’s conclusion a “compelling statement” of the First Amendment of the US Constitution, which guarantees freedom of expression.

“In 2030, you will be executed in Europe for liking a meme,” Musk wrote.

It is true that the charges in the French prosecutor’s materials are more serious than the “likes.” According to the TF1 television channel, Pavel could face up to 20 years in prison if proven guilty.

French prosecutors against Pavel Durov

The investigation in which Durov became a suspect was launched by the anti-cybercrime department of the Paris prosecutor’s office against an unidentified person. We are not talking about committing crimes directly, but about complicity, expressed in the way of managing an online platform that allows crimes to be committed. Durov is suspected of refusing to provide information to intercept criminals at the request of law enforcement. In France, Telegram is also believed to have stored child pornography, contributed to the distribution of drugs and violated legislation in the field of cryptocurrencies.

• Telegram responded to the arrest of the founding CEO even before official comments from the French authorities. Its employees hope for a prompt resolution of the situation and Pavel is considered innocent.

“It is absurd to claim that the platform or its owner is responsible for the abuse of this platform,” read a post on the platform’s official Telegram team channel.

The service team clarifies that Durov has nothing to hide, which is why he frequently travels to European countries. The Telegram service complies with all EU laws and moderates data in accordance with industry standards, the statement said.

The chairman of the Russian Forensic Chamber and director of the GreenExpertiza company Denis Podshivalenko told RB.RU that Durov could face 3-5 years in prison if his lawyers fail to free him by November.

Experts interviewed by RB.RU believe that the founder’s arrest will not affect the fate of Telegram, at least in Russia. It is likely that the company had a plan in case such an event occurred.

Durov knew that negativity towards Telegram was growing in Western countries. In an interview with American TV journalist Tucker Carlson, recorded in February 2024, the businessman reported that a real hunt was underway for him. For example, Durov was already attacked on the street in San Francisco and the FBI “tried to hire” his engineer, the businessman said. American agents also visited Durov’s house in the United States.

Durov claimed that in Russia he had to become a target for law enforcement agencies. The businessman told an American journalist that he refused to cooperate with Russian law enforcement agencies as the owner of VK, and when “armed police officers came to his house and tried to break into it,” he decided to found Telegram as a completely secure service. Then Durov left his homeland and went first to Berlin, where they tried to found a company, then moved to London, Singapore, San Francisco, but everywhere he encountered bureaucratic obstacles. The founder of Telegram has been living in the United Arab Emirates for seven years.

Reverse effect for Telegram

While Durov is “locked” in a cell in Paris, the number of downloads of his iOS app worldwide increased by 4% per day through August 26, TechCrunch reported, citing data from Appfigures and Sensor Tower.

• In France, Telegram ranked first in App Store downloads in the “Social Networks” category; in the United States, the messenger came in first in second place and then fell to third place at the top. From August 24 to 25, it rose from 18th to 8th place among the best apps in the App Store, excluding games. According to Appfigures, this is Telegram’s highest rating on the platform since January 1, 2023.

The growth of Telegram’s popularity against the backdrop of Durov’s arrest fits surprisingly into the concept of the service’s development. In an interview in February, Durov said that Telegram is spreading like wildfire: 2.5 million users are registering every day, while the team is not spending anything on marketing. By the end of 2024, the messenger planned to increase the number of monthly users to 1 billion.

It is true that what will happen next with the service is an open question. Director of the Association of Professional Users of Social Networks and Messengers Vladimir Zykov He says that even if Durov cooperates with the authorities, the situation will not be easy.

Moreover, there are consequences for France itself, but Macron wanted to turn Paris into a technology hub. According to the head of the association, the question of how to work properly in Europe and the United States is open, but France will be perceived as the most dangerous for IT startups.

“Investors do not like risks and expect startups to have a plan of action: move their headquarters or cooperate with the authorities,” the expert concluded.

It is also unclear what will happen to the TON cryptocurrency. Amid news of Durov’s arrest, its share prices fell.

According to the expert, the market has already encountered similar situations. For example, the case of former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao proved that the cryptocurrency sector is capable of showing resilience: despite the initial fall, the BNB token was able to not only maintain its position, but also demonstrate growth.

Some experts do not rule out that the fall of TON is the only way to make money. As German banker Nathan Rothschild said: “Buy when the guns are ringing and sell when the fanfare is ringing.”

“If Pavel is released in the near future, the value of his TON coin will increase and it will be possible to earn an additional 15-20% from the growth of this cryptocurrency,” Podshivalenko said.

RB.RU does not provide investment advice, cryptocurrencies can lead to losses, the material is published for informational purposes.