Politico learned about the French authorities' ban on Durov's trip to the United States

The French authorities rejected the request of Pavel Durov, the founder of the Telegram messenger, to travel to the United States for business negotiations. This was reported by the Politico newspaper on May 20, citing sources.

The Paris Prosecutor's office informed the newspaper that it had made its decision on May 12 "on the grounds that such a trip abroad does not seem urgent or justified," the publication says.

It is clarified that the founder of Telegram is prohibited from leaving France without obtaining permission from the authorities. According to the newspaper, Durov's lawyers did not comment on the Paris decision.

On August 24, 2024, Durov was detained at Le Bourget airport in Paris. He was charged with a number of crimes committed through Telegram, including drug distribution, crimes against children, money laundering and fraud, and banned from leaving the republic.

On March 17, the founder of the messenger announced that an investigation is ongoing in France related to the activities of criminals in Telegram. He also thanked people for their support, stressing that it means a lot to him.

Durov said on May 18 that one of the Western European countries had asked the messenger to block the channels of Romanian conservatives against the background of the presidential elections in the country. He refused. Later, Durov added that the French special services had made such a request.