According to reports Durov traveled aboard his private jetThe businessman was the target of an arrest warrant in France as part of a preliminary police investigation.
Both TF1 and BFM reported that The investigation is focusing on the lack of moderators at Telegram, with police believing the situation has allowed criminal activity to go unhindered on the messaging app..
According to French media Durov could be arraigned on Sunday.
Telegram — “virtual battlefield”
Encrypted Telegram, with nearly a billion users, is particularly influential in Russia, Ukraine and the former Soviet republics. It is one of the main social media platforms after Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok and Wechat.
Read also in BUSINESS INSIDER
Telegram did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. The French Interior Ministry and police did not comment.
Russian-born Durov founded Telegram with his brother in 2013. He left Russia in 2014 after refusing to comply with government demands to close down opposition communities on his social media platform WKontakte, which he sold.
After Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Telegram became a major source of unfiltered — and sometimes misleading — content from both sides about the war and the politics surrounding the conflict.
The platform has become what some analysts call “virtual battlefield“, intensively used by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his officials, as well as the Russian government.
Telegram — which allows users to avoid official scrutiny — has also become one of the few places where Russians can access independent news about the war.
Russia’s reaction to Durov’s arrest
The Russian Foreign Ministry said its embassy in Paris was investigating the situation around Durov and called on Western NGOs to demand his release.
Several Russian bloggers called for protests outside French embassies around the world at noon on Sunday.
