Telegram responds to arrest of CEO Pavel Durov, ‘Abide by EU laws, have nothing to hide, absurd to claim abuse…’

The messaging platform Telegram on the social media site X (formerly known as Twitter) responded to the arrest of CEO Pavel Durov in France.

In a post on August 26, Telegram Messenger said it abides by EU laws and has nothing to hide, adding that it is “absurd” to hold a platform accountable for abuse by users.

“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 said.

Adding, “It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform. Almost a billion users globally use Telegram as means of communication and as a source of vital information. We’re awaiting a prompt resolution of this situation. Telegram is with you all.”

Pavel Durov Arrested in France

Durov, the billionaire founder and CEO of Telegram, was arrested at the Bourget airport outside Paris on August 24 evening, Reuters reported citing French media TF1 TV and BFM TV.

TF1 reported that Durov was travelling aboard his private jet from Azerbaijan and was targeted by an arrest warrant in France as part of a preliminary police investigation. It said he was arrested at around 20:00 (18:00 GMT).

Both TF1 and BFM said the investigation was focused on a lack of moderators on Telegram, and that resulting criminal activity on the messaging app.

The French Interior Ministry and police had no comment, Reuters added.

Telegram is particularly influential in Russia, Ukraine, and the republics of the former Soviet Union. Ranked among the major social media platforms after Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok, and WeChat, it aims to reach one billion users in the next year.

Telegram, based in Dubai, was founded by Russian-born Durov. Forbes estimates Durov's worth at $15.5 billion. He left Russia in 2014 after refusing to comply with the government's demands to shut down opposition communities on the platform.

After Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Telegram has become the main source of unfiltered — and sometimes graphic and misleading — content from both sides about the war and the politics surrounding the conflict.

Russia's embassy in France told the Russian state TASS news agency that Durov's team did not contact it after the reports of the arrest, but it was taking "immediate" steps to clarify the situation.

Criticisms Over Arrest Pour In

Edward Snowden, the former NSA whistleblower now living in Russia, strongly condemned the arrest. Tesla CEO Elon Musk also weighed in with an X post.

American entrepreneur Balaji Srinivasan criticised the arrest, asserting that the French government’s actions are driven more by a desire for control than by crime prevention.

Capitalmind's founder and CEO Deepak Shenoy reacted on Sunday to Telegram CEO Pavel Durov's arrest and said that France's decline will be real from now on.