France softens restrictions for Telegram’s Russian founder Pavel Durov

PARIS – Messaging app Telegram founder Pavel Durov’s judicial control has been relaxed, with the Russian-born entrepreneur now allowed to live in Dubai for a maximum of two weeks at a time.

Durov, 40, was sensationally detained in Paris in 2024 and is

under formal investigation by French authorities

over illegal content on his popular messaging service.

In March, Durov was

allowed to leave France

for the first time since his arrest and travel to Dubai, where his company is based and his family lives.

According to a judicial source, Durov was authorised on June 19 “to leave metropolitan France for a maximum of 14 consecutive days, subject to informing the investigating judge one week in advance”.

The measure, which takes effect on July 10, allows him to travel only to Dubai.

According to the judicial source, Durov’s identity documents and passport will be returned to him on that date, while the other obligations of his judicial supervision, including a bail, will remain in place.

Telegram welcomed the decision of the Paris Court of Appeal “allowing Mr Durov to travel regularly to the United Arab Emirates without the need for judicial authorisation”.

The company said: “We are confident that the obligation to return to France every two weeks will also be lifted later this year, allowing Mr Durov to devote himself fully to Telegram and its users.”

Mr David-Olivier Kaminski, one of Durov’s lawyers, said: “The judicial supervision obligations imposed on Pavel Durov had become unfounded and totally disproportionate, as were the charges brought by the prosecutor.”

Durov’s recent requests to travel to the US and Norway have however been denied.

In an interview with Le Point published on June 18, he said the ban on leaving France affected him “enormously” and denounced the charges against him as “completely absurd”.

He has been accused of “complicity” in running an online platform that allowed illicit transactions, child sex abuse images and other illegal content – claims he denies.

“I have a newborn son, and I am missing the first months of his life,” Durov said, adding that his parents had health problems.

“It seems that I am already being punished at this stage by being banned from leaving the country.”

He also told Le Point that he was “very disappointed” with the policies of President Emmanuel Macron, who granted him French citizenship. “I had high hopes for him,” Durov said.

“For a long time, he would send me messages on Telegram about all sorts of things,” he added.

Durov has recently accused France’s foreign intelligence service of seeking to meddle in Romania’s election – claims the Directorate-General for External Security has denied.

When he published his allegations, Mr Macron sent him a message, Durov said, adding: “I didn’t reply.” AFP