Billionaire and Telegram founder arrested in France

Telegram has around a billion registered users and is considered one of the largest social media platforms after Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok and WeChat. It is particularly influential in Russian-speaking countries.

Kremlin propagandists and other Russian sources criticized Durov's arrest, calling it a NATO plot and a threat to free speech.

“Russian army troops actively use Telegram in battles,” said Sergei Markov, a former Kremlin speechwriter. “Therefore, Durov's arrest may be an attempt by French and NATO intelligence services to gain control over the Russian army's communications and control system in the Northeastern Military District.”

Elon Musk supports Durov

Elon Musk, owner of social media platform X and one of the richest men in the world, also posted messages in support of Mr. Durov.

He used the hashtag #FreePavel and retweeted posts criticising the arrest and claiming that Europe was becoming a continent of authoritarian states.

“It's 2030 in Europe and you're being executed for liking a meme,” Mr Musk wrote.

Durov, 39, is part of a generation of Russian technology wizards who have helped turn Moscow into a hotspot to rival Silicon Valley.

He founded Telegram with his brother in 2013 but left Russia a year later after refusing to comply with a Kremlin request to close opposition groups on the social network VKontakte, which had become Russia's answer to Facebook.

After leaving Russia, Mr Durov sold VKontakte, which has now become a social network monitored by the Kremlin.

Since then, Mr Durov has lived in Dubai. He also holds French citizenship and citizenship of St. Kitts and Nevis, a tax haven used by wealthy Russians to transfer money.

Mr Durov, whose fortune is estimated at £11.8 billion, is a vocal supporter of free speech and tech innovation and had praised Mr Musk's controversial takeover of Twitter, which was rebranded as X.