On 24 August 2024, Pavel Durov, a co-founder of the Telegram messaging service and the social network VK, was arrested after landing at Le Bourget Airport. The arrest was part of a preliminary investigation by the French National Judicial Police. On 28 August, Durov was indicted on twelve charges, including complicity in the distribution of child exploitation material and drug trafficking, was barred from leaving France, and was placed under judicial supervision.
The arrest of a technology platform CEO due to issues with Telegram moderation was described by University of Toronto policy researcher John Scott-Railton as "unprecedented". It prompted protest and outcry from free-speech activists and Telegram channels against the French government. The arrest also led to a deterioration in French–Russian relations. Russian diplomats accused French authorities of refusing to give information on the arrest, proposed measures to return Durov to Russia or the United Arab Emirates, and said that French–Russian relations had "reached a nadir".
In March 2025, Durov requested to modify conditions of his supervision and an investigating judge allowed Durov to temporarily leave France. Durov left France in the same month. Starting in July, he was permitted to leave France for up to two weeks at a time.
Background
Pavel Durov is a Russian entrepreneur known for co-founding and being the chief executive officer (CEO) of Telegram messenger, offering end-to-end encryption in messages, voice and video calls.
In 2018, Russia attempted to block Telegram, after the company refused to cooperate with Russian security services. The block order was lifted in 2020, after Telegram agreed to apply measures to "counter terrorism and extremism" on the platform.
Telegram is used for both private communication between individuals and for social media with mass groups and channels. It has minimal restrictions on content (only calls to violence, illegal forms of pornography and scamming are forbidden), and has been used by various organizations for recruitment and coordination. Use of the app has been linked to pro-democracy protests in Belarus, Russia, Hong Kong and Iran, as well as to the dissemination of state propaganda and violent rhetoric in oppressive regimes, the promotion of extremist views, and the digitalization of services provided by government entities and private businesses.
While Telegram made efforts to ban illegal content such as child abuse and pro-terrorist channels, including a partnership with Europol to eliminate IS presence on the platform, communities of anti-vax, far-left, far-right, and other extremist users are still found on the app. Such content is usually linked to Telegram allowing misinformation on the platform, which Durov has justified by saying that, "In my 20 years of managing discussion platforms, I noticed that conspiracy theories only strengthen each time their content is removed by moderators."
As a result of its laissez-faire content policies and mass reach, Telegram is widely used by extremists, propagandists, and conspiracy theorists, with VSquare journalists referring to it as an "ecosystem for the radicalisation of opinion". The app was used by far-right demagogues to coordinate and execute anti-immigrant riots and protests across the United Kingdom in late July to early August following the stabbing deaths of three children at a dance class in Southport. The Hope Not Hate anti-racism advocacy group referred to Telegram as the "app of choice" such far-right and anti-immigrant groups and "a cesspit of antisemitic content" due to its prominent lack of moderation and the platform's idleness towards trying to limit extremist rhetoric and acts.
In August 2024, Politico reported that French authorities had issued arrest warrants for Durov and his brother Nikolai in March. Durov had reportedly avoided traveling to Europe due to potential legal risks, and instead chose to travel to the United Arab Emirates and in South America.
Arrest and charges The arrest took place on 24 August 2024, in Paris at about 8 pm local time, when he exited his private jet on the runway at Paris–Le Bourget Airport at the end of a flight to France from Azerbaijan, where it's speculated he met with Vladimir Putin—however a source linked to Russian security forces claimed that Putin refused the meeting and in a press conference Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, replied that Durov and Putin did not meet. The arrest was carried out by the Air Transport Gendarmerie of France and by France's National Anti-Fraud Office investigators.
Durov was accompanied by a woman and a bodyguard at the time of his arrest. A source noted that "perhaps he had a feeling of impunity", despite probably being aware of the arrest warrant against him in France. Reports also indicated that Durov was on the list of individuals wanted by French authorities, and his arrest was due to his failure to cooperate with judicial officials, including issues related to Telegram's activities. He was taken into custody, and will stand trial as a French citizen. Although there was initially no official confirmation of Durov's arrest from French authorities, a police source stated that prior to Durov's arrival to Paris, French police noted that he was on the flight's passenger list with an arrest warrant on him, leading to them arresting him.
The arrest warrant was issued in conjunction with France's Office Mineurs, an agency centered around preventing violence against minors, and coordinated with other French judicial agencies. French authorities claim that Telegram, due to its lack of moderation and the use of disposable numbers and cryptocurrencies, has become a breeding ground for fraud and other criminal activity. As of 25 August 2024, Durov was accused of complicity and negligence involving Telegram, where serious crimes, including drug trafficking, child sexual exploitation, money laundering, concealment, and fraud, occur. These charges were complicated by encrypted messages, which exacerbated the complicity charges. If Durov is convicted of the charges, he could face up to 20 years in prison.
On 28 August, Durov was charged on twelve counts, including violations related to drug trafficking, child exploitation, money laundering and nine other crimes. On the same day Durov was released from custody due to the expiration of the maximum allowable detention (96 hours) and placed under the judicial supervision, with an obligation to post a 5 million euro bail, a ban from leaving France, and the obligation to report to a police station twice a week.Le PDG de Telegram, Pavel Durov, mis en examen et remis en liberté sous contrôle judiciaire avec interdiction de quitter le territoire français , Le Monde, August 28, 2024 At the same time, an investigation into alleged "serious violence" against one of his children in Paris was opened against him by the Juvenile Office (OFMIN) of the Central Directorate of the Judicial Police.
In March 2025, an investigating judge accepted Durov's request to modify conditions of his supervision and allowed him to temporarily leave France for "several weeks". On 15 March 2025, Durov departed France with the authorities' permission. Starting on 10 July, he was permitted to leave France for up to two weeks at a time, as long as he informed the judge one week in advance. His travel ban was fully revoked in November 2025.
Analysis The Guardian technology editor Alex Hern reported that some people feared the arrest could result in other platforms, messaging apps, and social media networks choosing to "over-moderate and over-censor", to prevent their employees or executives from being arrested and charged in a similar situation to Durov. Some people also believed the arrest would expand the implementation of end-to-end encryption, to make it more difficult for state authorities and intelligence agencies to uncover private and confidential information.
Aftermath In September 2024, Telegram announced that it would begin to hand over users' IP addresses and phone numbers to authorities who have search warrants or other valid legal requests.
Reactions
Telegram Telegram released an official statement following its CEO's arrest: "Telegram abides by EU laws, including the Digital Services Act – its moderation is within industry standards and constantly improving(...) Telegram's CEO Pavel Durov has nothing to hide and travels frequently in Europe. It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform. We're awaiting a prompt resolution of this situation."
On his personal Telegram channel, Durov stated on September 4 that "the claims in some media that Telegram is some sort of anarchic paradise are absolutely untrue. We take down millions of harmful posts and channels every day. (...) However, we hear voices saying that it’s not enough. Telegram’s abrupt increase in user count to 950M caused growing pains that made it easier for criminals to abuse our platform. That’s why I made it my personal goal to ensure we significantly improve things in this regard. We’ve already started that process internally". In the days following, the 'People Nearby' feature was dropped and Telegram started sharing certain user information to in response to law enforcement agencies' requests.
In France On 26 August 2024, President of France Emmanuel Macron stated that there was "no political motive" for Durov's arrest, and called any statements to the contrary "false information". Macron's statements marked the first official direct acknowledgement of Durov's arrest from a French official. Macron also said that, "More than anything else, France is committed to freedom of expression and communication, innovation and entrepreneurship." "In a state governed by the rule of law, on social networks as in real life, freedoms are exercised within a framework established by law to protect citizens and respect their fundamental rights."
In Russia
State responses Former President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev stated that he believed Durov "miscalculated" by trying to leave Russia and thinking that the police and secret services of other nations would be more permissive of his actions.
Russian politician Maria Butina, who was convicted in the U.S. of being an unregistered foreign agent, referred to Durov as a "political prisoner – a victim of a witch-hunt by the West" and asserted that his arrest by French and European authorities meant that "freedom of speech in Europe is dead". She further stated that Durov's arrest was done by the Western world to use Durov as a hostage to "blackmail Russia" and "all the users of Telegram" as means to take over control of the Telegram platform and block Russian networks and viewpoints from Western audiences.
French–Russian relations Russian international representative Mikhail Ulyanov and multiple other Russian politicians immediately stated that France was taking actions like a dictatorship would. Ulyanov wrote on his Twitter/X profile: "Some naive persons still don't understand that if they play [a] more or less visible role in [the] international information space, it is not safe for them to visit countries which [are moving] towards much more totalitarian societies." These statements were noted by Reuters journalists to be markedly similar to criticism the Russian government faced in 2018 when attempting to put a ban on Telegram.
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that the Russian Embassy in France took steps in order clarify the circumstances behind Durov's apprehension. The Russian embassy stated that as of 25 August 2024, France had "avoided engagement" regarding the circumstances and reasoning behind Durov's arrest, and that the embassy began conversations with Durov's lawyer.