Russian president claims ignorance of Telegram founder’s Baku visit Denies any claims against Durov

At the Eastern Economic Forum, Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed recent speculation regarding Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram, stating that he was unaware of Durov's recent stay in Baku.

“I met Durov once many years ago. He was just telling me about his plans. It was at one of the meetings in the Kremlin. Since then we have not seen him,” Putin revealed, Caliber.Az reports.

Putin clarified that during his visit to Baku, he had “no idea” Durov was there. “I did not even know that Durov was in Baku. I had no idea about it,” Putin said.

He further indicated that if Durov had wished to discuss any matters, he could have arranged a meeting in Moscow. 
“We do not shut off communication with business representatives. We had no claims to Durov,” he added, underscoring that there were no grievances against the Telegram founder.

Founder and CEO of Telegram Pavel Durov was detained on August 24 evening at Paris-Le Bourget Airport. 

The 39-year-old entrepreneur was accompanied by his bodyguard and a woman.

Durov had been placed on a federal wanted list. He had arrived in France from Azerbaijan. A search warrant was issued for Durov by the French National Judicial Police based on a preliminary investigation.

French authorities accuse Durov of involvement in drug trafficking, crimes against children, and fraud, linking these allegations to the lack of moderation on Telegram. The entrepreneur has reportedly been taken into custody. A source indicated that Durov’s arrest was inevitable.

"Numerous offences and crimes have been committed on his platform, and he has taken no action to prevent them or cooperate with law enforcement bodies," the source said. Durov acquired French citizenship in August 2021.

Durov was freed after paying a €5 million deposit and instructed not to leave France.