The arrest and charging of Telegram founder Pavel Durov by France has shed light on the international connections of a man who has at least four passports and high-level contacts, but who has also attracted the attention of security agencies around the world.
Born in 1984 to an academic family in Leningrad (now known as Saint Petersburg) during the Soviet Union’s rule, Durov spent his childhood in Italy, after which his family returned to Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
He left Russia a decade ago to found the Telegram messenger, and took up citizenship of the Caribbean island of Saint Kitts and Nevis to establish himself there.
Eventually setting up his company in Dubai, he was granted Emirati citizenship in 2021 and, that same year, French nationality through a special process that is cloaked in secrecy.
Here AFP takes a look at Durov’s key relationships with world powers.
Russia
Durov says he left Russia in 2014, accusing Kremlin allies of seizing ownership of his first social network, the Russian-language VKontakte, after he refused to hand over data on users involved in the 2011-2012 protests in Russia and then the 2013-2014 demonstrations in Ukraine.
At the time, many considered him a dissident. In subsequent years Russian authorities tried to block Telegram but failed, and the app is seen as a key tool for the military in its invasion of Ukraine.
In an interview with American right-wing talk show host Tucker Carlson in April, Durov said that only people with “very limited knowledge about where Telegram comes from” could claim it is a tool of the Russian government.
But Moscow has by no means disowned Durov during his current legal problems, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warning France against turning the case into a “political persecution.”
According to the Vyazhne Istorii news site, citing leaked border data, his departure from Russia was nothing but an abrupt deportation and he visited the country more than 50 times between 2015 and 2021.
France
The media has repeatedly noted that Durov’s reception on Saturday, when he was arrested upon arrival at Paris Le Bourget airport, was completely different from previous visits.
Durov had met President Emmanuel Macron on several occasions before receiving French nationality in 2021 through a special procedure reserved for people who have made a special contribution to France, Le Monde newspaper reported on Wednesday.
After his arrest, Durov had requested that French telecoms tycoon Xavier Niel, chairman and founder of the Iliad mobile operator and considered close to Macron, be informed of his arrest, a source close to the matter told AFP on Thursday on condition of anonymity.
Durov has said that his French passport spells his name as Paul du Rove, a humorous French translation. His personal Telegram channel is named “Du Rove Channel”.
Another source close to the investigation said that during the interrogation, Durov emphasized his relationship with the French head of state.
Pavel Durov and his elder brother Nikolai, believed to be the mathematical mind behind Telegram, are both wanted by France since March this year.
United Arab Emirates
Durov says he decided to locate Telegram’s headquarters in Dubai because he found the UAE to have a much better business environment than European cities, allowing the company to hire the best people, take advantage of a tax-efficient regime and the city’s infrastructure.
“We tried many places. We went to Berlin first… We tried London, Singapore, San Francisco, you name it – we went everywhere,” Durov told Carlson.
“It was very difficult to overcome the bureaucratic hurdles,” he said, while the UAE “proved to be a great place,” praising the kingdom for being “a neutral place … not geopolitically aligned.”
United States
There’s no indication that Durov ever sought U.S. citizenship, but his interview with Carlson revealed some interesting — albeit unconfirmed — details about his ties to the country.
He said he at one point thought San Francisco “would be the perfect place for us” but then he was attacked by “three big guys” who tried to take his phone while he was tweeting about a meeting with then-Twitter chief Jack Dorsey.
Durov claimed he had the better of the fight. “There was a brief fight and some blood was shed.”
He also said that US security agencies paid “too much attention” to him whenever he visited the US, and complained that two FBI agents always met him at the airport and asked him questions.Durov’s international network
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
