Telegram founder: France lifts travel restrictions for Pavel Durov
For more than a year, Pavel Durov has been under investigation in France, and he needed permission for foreign travel. At least that is now over.
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French authorities have completely lifted the travel restrictions for Telegram founder Pavel Durov; the 41-year-old from Russia no longer has to report to the police in Nice regularly. As France24 reports, citing an anonymous source, Durov has fully complied with judicial requirements. However, the news portal does not state the consequences of the decision for the investigation or its current status. Durov himself has not commented on the decision; only a few days ago, he promoted a game on his microblogging service in which he has to "escape from a French prison and fight all sorts of shady characters."
A back and forth in France
Durov was arrested in Paris in August 2025 in a sensational operation, and the judiciary there has made serious accusations related to the moderation of content on his messenger. It was stated that Telegram does not sufficiently enforce moderation obligations and lacks cooperation to take action against criminal activities with the responsible authorities. Telegram has long been suspected of providing a haven for people with criminal intentions. Durov initially criticized the accusations, claiming they could be made against all major social networks, but apparently changed his opinion afterward.
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The Telegram founder is a native Russian but also holds French and United Arab Emirates citizenship. He was recently allowed to travel to the Emirates for up to two weeks at a time, but a business trip to the USA had been prohibited. These restrictions are now over, but it is still unclear how the investigation will proceed. Durov has repeatedly caused a stir with sometimes serious accusations against the French authorities. For example, he claimed that France's intelligence chief had asked him to block "conservative voices in Romania before the election there" on Telegram: "I refused." The French government has vehemently denied this.
Durov was allowed to travel to the Emirates, the incorrect explanation was corrected.
(mho)
