Pavel Durov

Pavel Durov
Павел Дуров
Durov in 2012
Born (1984-10-10) 10 October 1984 (age 42)
Leningrad, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
(now Saint Petersburg, Russia)
NationalityRussian
CitizenshipRussia (1984–present)
Saint Kitts and Nevis (2015–present)
France (2021–present)
UAE (2021–present)
Alma materSaint Petersburg State University
OccupationEntrepreneur
Years active2006–present
Known forFounding VK in 2006 and Telegram Messenger in 2013
TitleCEO of Telegram Messenger
Children2
Parents
RelativesNikolai Durov (brother)

Pavel Valeryevich Durov ( born 10 October 1984) is a Russian-born French-Kittitian–Emirati entrepreneur. He started the social networking site VK and the app Telegram Messenger. He is the younger brother of Nikolai Durov. In 2024 his net worth is estimated at $11.5bn billion. In 2022, he was the richest person in the United Arab Emirates, according to Forbes. In February 2023, Arabian Business named him the most powerful entrepreneur in Dubai.

He left St Petersburg after he refused to share the data of some Ukrainian users of VK with Russia’s security agency, the FSB. He has been called a freedom fighter with coding ingenuity.

For some years after 2014, the Durov brothers travelled the world in self-imposed exile as citizens of Saint Kitts and Nevis.

In 2017, Pavel joined the World Economic Forum Young Global Leaders as a representative of Finland. Durov was naturalized as French in August 2021 and now has European Union citizenship.

2024 arrest

Durov was arrested on 24 August, 2024, in Paris, after landing at Le Bourget Airport by the French National Police. Earlier it was reported that Durov and his brother Nikolai were targeted by France.

One of the charges against Durov carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of 500,000 euros. After issuing formal charges, Durov was released on bail and barred from leaving French territory until the case was resolved. It is said that Durov had previously avoided traveling to Europe due to potential legal risks.

References

  1. ↑ "Vkontakte Founder Pavel Durov Becomes Citizen of St. Kitts and Nevis". The Moscow Times.
  2. 1 2 "Décret du 23 août 2021 portant naturalisation, réintégration, mention d'enfants mineurs bénéficiant de l'effet collectif attaché à l'acquisition de la nationalité française par leurs parents, francisation de noms et de prénoms et libération de l'allégeance française (Accès protégé)". www.legifrance.gouv.fr. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  3. ↑ "Dubai's Jumeirah Islands Welcomes A New Resident: Telegram's Billionaire Founder". Forbes.
  4. ↑ Cook, James (22 March 2015). "The incredible life of Pavel Durov — 'Russia's Mark Zuckerberg' who is raising $2 billion for his messaging app". Business Insider. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  5. ↑ "Why Telegram has become the hottest messaging app in the world". The Verge. 25 February 2014. Archived from the original on 13 March 2016.
  6. ↑ "With $15.1B, Pavel Durov Is The Richest And Youngest Billionaire In The Middle East". Forbes Middle East. 17 April 2022. Retrieved 2023-02-14.
  7. ↑ "Dubai 100: Meet the 100 people you need to know in the emirate". Arabian Business. 8 February 2023. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  8. ↑ "Telegram: social media giant or the new 'dark web'?". www.ft.com. Retrieved 2024-03-12.
  9. ↑ Hakim, Danny (2 December 2014). "Once Celebrated in Russia, the Programmer Pavel Durov Chooses Exile". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 6 September 2015. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
  10. ↑ "ExoAtlet CEO Ekaterina Bereziy named Young Global Leader by World Economic Forum". 16 May 2017. Archived from the original on 17 May 2017.
  11. ↑ "Young Global Leaders class of 2017". Archived from the original on 29 June 2017. Retrieved 8 June 2017.
  12. ↑ Harvey, Joseph Ataman, Robert Ilich, Michelle Velez, Lex (2024-08-24). "Detention of Telegram founder sparks debate about free speech and criminal activity online | CNN Business". CNN. Retrieved 2024-09-15.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  13. ↑ "Telegram Founder Charged With Wide Range of Crimes in France". The New York Times. August 28, 2024. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
  14. ↑ "Telegram CEO's brother also wanted by French authorities". POLITICO. 2024-08-28. Retrieved 2024-09-15.
  15. ↑ "Communiqué de presse" (PDF). www.tribunal-de-paris.justice.fr. August 28, 2024. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
  16. ↑ "France charges Telegram CEO Pavel Durov, releases him on €5M bail". POLITICO. 2024-08-28. Retrieved 2024-09-15.
  17. ↑ "INFO TF1/LCI - Le fondateur et PDG de la messagerie Telegram interpellé en France". TF1 INFO (in French). 2024-08-24. Retrieved 2024-09-15.