Durov called his imprisonment in France a mistake.

Pavel Durov, the founder of the Telegram messenger, initially believed that he was being persecuted in France because of a mistake. He told the American journalist Tucker Carslon about this on June 9 in an interview published on the YouTube video hosting site.

According to the entrepreneur, he was aware that the French authorities were concerned about Telegram's "alleged lack of response to court requests." However, as he later realized, this was not the case.

"Because we have never received a single legally binding judicial request from France. That's why I was even more puzzled," Durov said.

He noted that initially, during the arrest, he thought that a mistake had occurred.

"They mistook me for someone else. They read the list of charges. But I have nothing to do with these crimes. For example, organized crime, drug sales, all these things. Like, what do I have to do with this? Then I realized it was serious because they wouldn't let me out. They literally keep me in a cell," said the founder of Telegram.

In August 2024, Durov was detained at Le Bourget airport in Paris. He was charged with a number of crimes, including drug distribution, crimes against children, money laundering and fraud. At the same time, he was released from custody on his own recognizance and bail in the amount of € 5 million. During the investigation, the court seized his passports and ordered him to live in Paris at a specific address.

The France-Presse news agency reported on March 15 that Durov had left France and traveled to Dubai with the court's permission for a while.