Telegram co-founder and CEO Pavel Durov has been placed under travel restrictions in France. He is no longer allowed to leave the country without prior authorisation from French judicial authorities. This development follows his arrest in August 2024 at a French airport and a series of investigations into alleged criminal activities connected to the encrypted messaging platform, Telegram.
According to reports, Telegram co-founder and CEO Pavel Durov had submitted a request to travel to the United States for “negotiations with investment funds.” However, the Paris prosecutor’s office declined the request.
French prosecutors ruled on 12 May that the proposed US trip “did not appear imperative or justified.”
This ruling underscores the strict legal oversight Durov is currently under. Following his arrest last year, he was formally indicted in September 2024 on six criminal charges, which are reportedly linked to illicit activities allegedly conducted through Telegram.
Durov faces serious accusations, including claims that Telegram has been used for money laundering and the spread of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). While the CEO has not been convicted, these charges are at the heart of the ongoing legal scrutiny around Telegram.
The Russian-born entrepreneur, who holds dual citizenship in France and the United Arab Emirates, is currently barred from leaving France unless he obtains specific approval. Notably, French authorities did allow him limited international travel earlier this year—from 15 March to 7 April 2025—when he visited Dubai.
France authorities arrested Durov in August 2024 at a French airport.
Durov’s relationship with French authorities appears to be growing more confrontational. Earlier this year, he publicly accused the government—including Nicolas Lerner, head of France’s foreign intelligence agency—of pressuring him to suppress conservative voices on Telegram in the run-up to national elections.
He claimed that the French government asked him to suppress conservative voices. The government denied this, calling it “baseless.”
In response to the mounting legal issues, Telegram has started to demonstrate more regulatory compliance. As of September 2024, the platform began sharing user IP addresses and phone numbers in response to legal requests. The company also joined hands with the Internet Watch Foundation to automatically block known CSAM links, signaling a shift toward greater accountability.
Pavel Valeryevich Durov is a Russian-born technology entrepreneur best known as the co-founder and CEO of the messaging platform Telegram.
Early Life and Education of Pavel Durov :
Pavel Durov was born on October 10, 1984, in Leningrad—then part of the Russian SFSR in the Soviet Union—now known as Saint Petersburg, Russia.
He spent a significant portion of his early life in Turin, Italy, where his father had taken up employment.
Durov later returned to Russia to pursue higher education at Saint Petersburg State University, the same institution where his father served as a faculty member.
In 2006, he graduated with top honors from the university’s Philology Department.
While studying at university, Pavel Durov launched a well-known student forum called spbgu.ru.
In 2006, taking inspiration from Facebook, he teamed up with his former classmate Vyacheslav Mirilashvili and entrepreneur Lev Binzumovich Leviev to co-found the social networking platform VKontakte (VK).
Durov held the position of CEO at VK from its inception in 2006 until 2014. His older brother, Nikolai Durov—a distinguished figure in international mathematics and programming competitions—played a key role in building the platform’s technical foundation.
VK grew to be Russia's largest social network.
Durov's tenure at VK was marked by clashes with Russian authorities, particularly over demands to remove opposition politicians' pages in 2011 and refusing to hand over personal data of Ukrainian protesters to Russian security agencies.
He left Russia in 2014 after claiming VK was effectively taken over by allies of Vladimir Putin, stating he "would rather be free" than take orders from anyone.
In 2013, Pavel Durov and his brother Nikolai Durov developed Telegram, an encrypted messaging service, with a focus on speed and security and a strong stance against censorship.
Telegram's headquarters are located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, where the Durov brothers moved in 2017.
Durov has stated that Telegram is "100 percent owned by myself."
Telegram has grown significantly, boasting over 900 million users worldwide as of August 2024.
Telegram has faced controversies regarding its content moderation policies, with some accusing it of not doing enough to halt the spread of illicit content, including drug trafficking and child sexual abuse material. Durov has maintained that he does not believe governments should restrict what people say or do, championing confidentiality and free speech on the internet.
Durov holds multiple citizenships: Russian (since 1991), Saint Kitts and Nevis (since 2013), United Arab Emirates (since 2021), and France (since 2021).
He currently resides in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
As of August 25, 2024, Forbes estimated Durov's net worth at $15.5 billion, largely driven by his ownership of Telegram. He was recognized by Forbes as the richest expat in the United Arab Emirates in 2022 and the most powerful entrepreneur in Dubai in February 2023 by Arabian Business.
In August 2024, Pavel Durov was arrested in Paris, France, and later charged with complicity in a wide range of crimes, including drug trafficking and "enabling the distribution of child sexual abuse material," related to alleged illicit activities on Telegram. He was released on bail and barred from leaving French territory until the case is resolved. Durov denies the allegations, arguing that Telegram exceeds its legal responsibilities regarding content moderation.
In May 2025, Durov alleged that French intelligence requested Telegram to censor conservative voices in Romania ahead of the presidential election runoff, a request he stated he refused, citing Telegram's commitment to free speech. France has denied these allegations.
Pavel Durov’s travel ban and ongoing investigations mark a critical moment for Telegram, especially as global regulators tighten oversight on digital platforms. While Durov’s claims of political targeting remain disputed, the charges tied to Telegram’s misuse for criminal purposes continue to draw attention. As of now, Durov remains in France and cannot travel unless granted explicit permission by the authorities.