Telegram CEO Pavel Durov has been prohibited from leaving French territory after being charged with complicity in operating an online platform that allegedly facilitated the spread of sexual images of children. This development casts uncertainty over the future of Telegram, one of the world’s most prominent messaging apps.
Durov was arrested on Saturday at 8 p.m. local time after his private jet landed near Paris. He was held for four days as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged criminal activities on Telegram. On Wednesday evening, local time, he was officially charged and restricted from leaving France, according to a statement from the Paris Prosecutor’s Office. Durov was released under judicial supervision, required to post €5 million ($5.5 million) in bail, and must report to a police station in France twice a week.
The charges against Durov include complicity in the dissemination of child sexual abuse material, drug trafficking, importing cryptology without proper declaration, and failing to cooperate with French authorities. “The Telegram founder is under formal investigation for serious offenses,” stated Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau.
French authorities have criticized Telegram’s lack of cooperation with legal requests, which prompted the National Jurisdiction for the Fight Against Organized Crime (JUNALCO) to investigate the potential criminal liability of the platform’s executives. The preliminary investigation began in February 2024 and was coordinated by OFMIN, an agency dedicated to preventing violence against minors.
In response to the accusations, Telegram released a statement on Sunday, before Durov was charged, stating, “It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner is responsible for the abuse of that platform.” Telegram, which boasts 900 million active users, has yet to comment on the charges against Durov.
Since his arrest, both the UAE and Russia have requested consular access to Durov, who holds citizenship in both countries. It remains unclear why Durov, who also obtained a French passport after leaving Russia, was in France. In June, Durov mentioned on his Telegram channel, “I don’t take holidays.”
Russia has claimed, without providing evidence, that Durov’s arrest is an attempt by the United States to gain influence over Telegram through France. Vyacheslav Volodin, chairman of Russia’s State Duma, stated on the app, “Telegram is one of the few and at the same time the largest Internet platforms over which the United States has no influence.”
French President Emmanuel Macron addressed the situation on Monday, asserting that Durov’s detention was “in no way a political decision.” He emphasized that the judiciary, acting independently, is responsible for enforcing the law. The European Commission confirmed that Durov’s arrest was conducted under French criminal law and is not related to new European regulations for tech platforms. A spokesperson for the Commission, who wished to remain anonymous, stated, “We are closely monitoring the developments related to Telegram and stand ready to cooperate with the French authorities should it be relevant.”
Durov, once dubbed Russia’s Mark Zuckerberg, has said that the idea for Telegram emerged while he was still CEO of Vkontakte, the Russian social media platform he founded in 2006. Under his leadership, Vkontakte faced allegations of sharing user data with the Kremlin, despite Durov’s apparent public disputes with Russian authorities over the political content on VK. Durov told The New York Times that in 2011, when a SWAT team appeared at his home in St. Petersburg, he realized he had no secure way to contact his brother. “That’s how Telegram started,” he explained.
