Pavel Durov is a Russian entrepreneur, CEO, and Founder of The Open Network (TON). He alongside his brother Nikolai Durov co-founded Telegram^[3], an encrypted messaging application that attracted over 60 million active users in less than 2 years since its start in 2013. Before that, Pavel founded VK^[2] – a popular social network in Russia and some other countries with over 100 million active users. ^[1]

Career

Pavel Durov is the younger brother of Nikolai Durov and he is also known as the "Russian Mark Zuckerberg" as the app he founded, VKontakte (VK)^[2] is quite similar to Facebook. Some years after his dismissal as CEO of VK in 2014, the Durov brothers traveled the world in self-imposed exile as citizens of Saint Kitts and Nevis. In 2017, Pavel joined the World Economic Forum (WEF) Young Global Leaders as a representative of Finland. Durov was naturalized as a French citizen in August 2021. As at 29 September 2022, his net worth is estimated at $15.1 billion. In 2022, he was recognized as the richest person in the United Arab Emirates according to Forbes. ^[4][5][6][7]

VK

Pavel Durov's career began in 2006 when he developed VKontakte^[2] with Ilya Perekopsky^[8] later known as VK, which was initially influenced by Facebook. The company grew to a value of $3 billion during which he and his brother Nikolai Durov built up the VK website. ^[9]

In 2011, Pavel was involved in a standoff with the police in Saint Petersburg when the government demanded the removal of opposition politicians' pages after the 2011 election to the Duma; Durov posted a picture of a dog with his tongue out wearing a hoodie and the police left after an hour when he did not answer the door. ^[9][5]

In 2012, Pavel publicly posted a picture of himself extending his middle finger and calling it his official response to Mail.ru Group's efforts to buy VK. In December 2013, Durov decided to sell his 12% to Ivan Tavrin (at that time 40% of the shares belonged to Mail.ru Group, and 48% to the United Capital Partners). Later, Tavrin resold these shares to Mail.ru Group. ^[10][11]

Dismissal from VK

On April 1st, 2014, Durov submitted his resignation to the board; at first, due to the fact the company confirmed he had resigned, it was believed to be related to the Russo-Ukrainian War which had started in February. However, Durov himself claimed it was an April Fool's Joke on the 3rd of April 2014. ^[12][13]

On the 16th of April 2014, Durov publicly refused to hand over the personal data of Ukrainian protesters to Russia's security agencies and block Alexei Navalny's^[15] page on VK. Instead, he posted the relevant orders on his own VK page, claiming that the requests were unlawful. ^[14][16]

On the 21st of April 2014, Durov was dismissed as CEO of VK. The company claimed it was acting on his letter of resignation a month earlier that he failed to recall. Durov then claimed the company had been effectively taken over by Vladimir Putin's allies, suggesting his ouster was the result of both his refusal to hand over personal details of users to federal law enforcement and his refusal to hand over the personal details of people who were members of a VK group dedicated to the Euromaidan protest movement. Durov then left Russia and stated that he had "no plans to go back" and that "the country is incompatible with Internet business at the moment". ^[17][18]

Telegram

Pavel Durov founded Telegram^[3], an encrypted messaging service in 2013. Upon leaving Russia, he obtained Saint Kitts and Nevis citizenship by donating $250,000 to the country's Sugar Industry Diversification Foundation and secured $300 million in cash within Swiss banks. This allowed him to focus on developing Telegram. Telegram was headquartered in Berlin and later moved to Dubai. ^[19][20]

In January 2018 it was revealed that, in a bid to monetize the growing success of Telegram, Durov was launching the "Gram" cryptocurrency and the TON platform. It raised a total of $1.7 billion from investors. However, these ventures were halted by the US SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) which argued in courts that Grams bypassed U.S. financing laws and should return the money to its investors. ^[21]

In 2018, Russia attempted to block Telegram, after the company refused to cooperate with Russian security services. A leaked letter by an FSB employee stated that the block was tied to the company's intention to launch the Telegram Open Network. During the attempted block period, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs continued to operate official channels on the app. The block order was lifted in 2020, after two years of block attempts, which the service reportedly evaded using domain fronting. The stated reason was Telegram agreeing to "counter terrorism and extremism" on the platform. ^[22][23]

TON

Telegram Open Network (TON Network) is a blockchain project created by brothers Nikolai and Pavel Durov to build a platform that disrupts the decentralized application space by leveraging Telegram’s wide user base. The platform promised the speed and scalability important for the mass adoption of cryptocurrency. Through TON, Telegram users were supposed to be able to buy, transfer, and store value in ID-verifiable wallets facilitated by the GRAM coin. ^[21]

However, SEC intervened in October 2019 asking Telegram to temporarily restrict the distribution of Gram tokens. The agency argued that the initial purchasers of Gram would be acting as underwriters, and the resale of Gram, once distributed, would be an unregistered distribution of securities. After a long court fight, Pavel Durov announced the end of Telegram's active participation with the TON blockchain in May 2020. Durov referenced third-party efforts to launch independent versions of the TON blockchain but said no Telegram employee is involved with these projects. ^[21][24]

"While networks based on the technology we built for TON may appear, we won't have any affiliation with them and are unlikely to ever support them in any way. So be careful, and don't let anyone mislead you," Durov wrote. ^[24]

Personal Life

Pavel Durov was born on October 10th, 1984. He received his United Arab Emirates citizenship in April 2021 and that is where he is based. He is single and has 2 children. ^[7][25]

Durov was listed on the Forbes Billionaires List in 2022, with a net worth of $15.1 billion. His fortune is largely driven by his ownership of Telegram^[3]. As of September 2022, Durov was the 104th richest person in the world. ^[7]

Pavel Durov reportedly donated about $90,000 worth of bitcoin to help alleviate the financial burden of COVID-19 pandemic in Russia. Egor Zhukov, a student political activist who organized a crowdfunding campaign to help people cope with the pandemic-related crisis, announced on May 27, 2020, that Durov donated 10 BTC to the effort. ^[30][31]

Education

Pavel Durov went to Saint Petersburg State University where he studied for a Master of Science, and graduated in 2006. ^[9]

Awards & Recognition

In August 2014, Durov was named the most promising Northern European leader under 30. ^[26]

In 2017, he was chosen to join the WEF Young Global Leaders, representing Finland. ^[27]

In June 2018, the Union of Kazakhstan's Journalists awarded Durov "for his principled position against censorship and the state's interference into citizens' free online correspondence." ^[28]

In 2018, Fortune magazine included Durov in their "40 Under 40" list, an annual ranking of the most influential young people in business. ^[29]

Pavel Durov's Arrest

On August 24, 2024, Pavel Durov was arrested in France upon arriving on his private jet from Azerbaijan. The arrest was facilitated by France's National Anti-Fraud Office, as reported by TF1^[32], over various charges tied to alleged illegal conduct by Telegram users that the service reportedly refused to moderate. According to the publication, these charges include facilitating terrorism, the sale of narcotics and stolen goods, fraud, and more. ^[33]

Due to his arrest, the price of Toncoin (TON)—the Telegram-affiliated The Open Network token—plunged. An official post by the TON team stated that the protocol was unaffected and its community was supportive of Durov. ^[33]

"As a community committed to freedom of speech and decentralization, we stand firmly by Pavel during this challenging time. Pavel has been a dedicated advocate for these values, and we believe his efforts to promote an open and decentralized internet will continue to inspire millions." - the TON handle tweeted^[34]

A response by the Telegram team after the arrest (on August 25, 2024) stated that:

"Telegram abides by the 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 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." - via the official Telegram News channel

Popular figures weighed in on the arrest by taking to X to express their opinions...

"Arrest of Pavel Durov is a disturbing attack on free speech and a threat not just to Telegram but to any online platform. Governments should not engage in censorship. This is a blatant and deeply troubling overreach of power." - Lex Fridman on August 25, 2024^[35]

"The arrest of @Durov is an assault on the basic human rights of speech and association. I am surprised and deeply saddened that Macron has descended to the level of taking hostages as a means for gaining access to private communications. It lowers not only France, but the world." - Edward Snowden, August 25, 2025^[36]

"France has threatened Rumble, and now they have crossed a red line by arresting Telegram’s CEO, Pavel Durov, reportedly for not censoring speech. Rumble will not stand for this behavior and will use every legal means available to fight for freedom of expression, a universal human right. We are currently fighting in the courts of France, and we hope for Pavel Durov’s immediate release." -
Chris Pavlovski, CEO of Rumble also commented ^[37]

The President of France, Emmanuel Macron also commented:

"I have seen false information regarding France following the arrest of Pavel Durov. France is deeply committed to freedom of expression and communication, to innovation, and to the spirit of entrepreneurship. It will remain so.

In a state governed by the rule of law, freedoms are upheld within a legal framework, both on social media and in real life, to protect citizens and respect their fundamental rights. It is up to the judiciary, in full independence, to enforce the law. The arrest of the president of Telegram on French soil took place as part of an ongoing judicial investigation. It is in no way a political decision. It is up to the judges to rule on the matter."^[39]

On the 27th of August, The UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that it was “closely following” Durov’s case and that it had “submitted a request to the French government to provide him with all consular services urgently”, the reason being that Pavel Durov is a citizen of the country. ^[38]

“Caring for citizens, preserving their interests, following up on their affairs, and providing them with all aspects of care are a top priority for the UAE,” the ministry said^[38]

On August 28, 2024, Pavel Durov was officially indicted and placed under supervised release by a Paris court with the obligation to post bail of 5 million euros, report to the police station twice a week, and a ban on leaving French territory, according to a press release. ^[40]