Pavel Durov, founder of Telegram, who chooses freedom rather than obeying anyone's orders

Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of the messaging app Telegram, was arrested at Bourget Airport outside Paris on Saturday evening, August 24. Information about this arrest was first reported by French television channels TF1 and BFM, citing unnamed sources.

Pavel Durov, 39, was born in Russia and is known as the founder of Telegram, an instant messaging platform that competes with other applications such as WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok and WeChat. Telegram, known as a free and secure platform, has become a major source of information in various countries, including Russia, Ukraine and other former Soviet states. During the Russo-Ukrainian War, Telegram was used extensively by officials from both sides, making it one of the virtual battlefields in the conflict.

Durov left Russia in 2014 after refusing to comply with the government's request to shut down the opposition community on his social media platform VKontak, which he later sold. After leaving Russia, Durov shifted his focus to Telegram, which later became one of the most popular instant messaging apps in the world.

In 2021, Durov officially became a French citizen, but he moved to Dubai with Telegram in 2017. In addition to French citizenship, Durov reportedly also holds citizenship of the United Arab Emirates and St. Kitts and Nevis.

Russia began blocking Telegram in 2018 after Durov refused a court order to give the state security service access to users' encrypted messages. Although this attempt failed completely, the move sparked mass protests in Moscow and criticism from various NGOs.

Telegram's growing popularity has also caught the attention of some European countries, including France, particularly with regard to privacy and data leaks. In May, EU technology regulators said they were in talks with Telegram to explore the possibility of stricter enforcement of rules against the platform under the latest EU online content law.

In an interview with US journalist Tucker Carlson in April, Durov confirmed that he prefers freedom to having to follow anyone's orders. This situation prompted him to leave Russia and find a safer place for Telegram, which means traveling to major cities around the world, such as Berlin, London, Singapore and San Francisco.

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