Why a Russian tech billionaire who stood up to Putin is now a target

Pavel Durov who founded secret, successful messaging app Telegram in 2013 has been arrested in France, sparking outrage from free speech campaigners.

Abigail Buchanan

Updated Aug 26, 2024 – 3.16pm, first published at 10.04am

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Pavel Durov was once hailed as Russia’s answer to Mark Zuckerberg. Now, he is facing prison in France. The billionaire co-founder of Telegram – an ultra-secure messaging app that boasts more than 900 million users – is feted by some as an anti-authoritarian hero and champion of free speech who took on the might of Vladimir Putin.

For others, he is a negligent tech tycoon responsible for creating a platform where criminal activity goes unchecked.

The Telegraph London