Pavel Durov
Pavel Valeryevich Durov ( born 10 October 1984)[4] is a Russian-born French-Kittitian–Emirati entrepreneur. He started the social networking site VK and the app Telegram Messenger.[5] 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.[6] In February 2023, Arabian Business named him the most powerful entrepreneur in Dubai.[7]
Pavel Durov | |
|---|---|
Павел Дуров | |
 Durov in 2012 | |
| Born | 10 October 1984 |
| Nationality | Russian |
| Citizenship | Russia (1984–present) Saint Kitts and Nevis[1] (2015–present) France[2] (2021–present) UAE[3] (2021–present) |
| Alma mater | Saint Petersburg State University |
| Occupation | Entrepreneur |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Known for | Founding VK in 2006 and Telegram Messenger in 2013 |
| Title | CEO of Telegram Messenger |
| Children | 2 |
| Parents |
|
| Relatives | Nikolai Durov (brother) |
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.[8]
For some years after 2014, the Durov brothers travelled the world in self-imposed exile[9] as citizens of Saint Kitts and Nevis.
In 2017, Pavel joined the World Economic Forum Young Global Leaders as a representative of Finland.[10][11] Durov was naturalized as French in August 2021 and now has European Union citizenship.[2]
2024 arrest
changeDurov was arrested on 24 August, 2024, in Paris, after landing at Le Bourget Airport by the French National Police.[12][13] Earlier it was reported that Durov and his brother Nikolai were targeted by France.[14]
One of the charges against Durov carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of 500,000 euros.[15] After issuing formal charges, Durov was released on bail and barred from leaving French territory until the case was resolved.[16] It is said that Durov had previously avoided traveling to Europe due to potential legal risks.[17]
References
change- ↑ "Vkontakte Founder Pavel Durov Becomes Citizen of St. Kitts and Nevis". The Moscow Times.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "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.
- ↑ "Dubai's Jumeirah Islands Welcomes A New Resident: Telegram's Billionaire Founder". Forbes.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ "Why Telegram has become the hottest messaging app in the world". The Verge. 25 February 2014. Archived from the original on 13 March 2016.
- ↑ "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.
- ↑ "Dubai 100: Meet the 100 people you need to know in the emirate". Arabian Business. 8 February 2023. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
- ↑ "Telegram: social media giant or the new 'dark web'?". www.ft.com. Retrieved 2024-03-12.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ "ExoAtlet CEO Ekaterina Bereziy named Young Global Leader by World Economic Forum". 16 May 2017. Archived from the original on 17 May 2017.
- ↑ "Young Global Leaders class of 2017". Archived from the original on 29 June 2017. Retrieved 8 June 2017.
- ↑ 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) - ↑ "Telegram Founder Charged With Wide Range of Crimes in France". The New York Times. August 28, 2024. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
- ↑ "Telegram CEO's brother also wanted by French authorities". POLITICO. 2024-08-28. Retrieved 2024-09-15.
- ↑ "Communiqué de presse" (PDF). www.tribunal-de-paris.justice.fr. August 28, 2024. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
- ↑ "France charges Telegram CEO Pavel Durov, releases him on €5M bail". POLITICO. 2024-08-28. Retrieved 2024-09-15.
- ↑ "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.