Russian officials ordered to delete Telegram chats after Durov's arrest
Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram, a network messenger enabling the sending of encrypted messages, was detained at Paris Le Bourget airport on Saturday evening. Authorities in Russia ordered officials and some influential businessmen to delete official correspondence from Telegram.
The Russian Telegram channel Baza, linked to security forces, reported on Sunday, 25 August, that authorities ordered officials and some major businessmen to delete official correspondence from Telegram following the detention in France of the service's founder, Paweł Durov.
According to the independent portal Meduza, such an order was received by employees of some law enforcement agencies, the administration of the president and the Russian government, and high-ranking employees of the Russian Ministry of Defence.
At the same time, some officials with whom Baza spoke reported that they were not asked to delete correspondence on Telegram. However, the interlocutors added that they expect such instructions on 26-27 August.
Additionally, Russian propagandist Margarita Simonyan wrote on Telegram that "anyone who is used to using the messenger for confidential conversations/correspondence should immediately delete that correspondence and never do it again."
Telegram creator detained in paris
Paweł Durov was detained on 24 August at Paris airport, where he arrived by private jet. The arrest warrant was issued by the French judicial police.
Durov created the Telegram app 11 years ago. Earlier, he tried to launch the "Russian Facebook," but his actions—according to PAP—were allegedly thwarted by Vladimir Putin's allies. He then left Russia, obtaining citizenship in Saint Kitts and Nevis.
His company, Telegram Group Inc., is registered in the British Virgin Islands. Meanwhile, the mobile app is issued by Telegram FZ-LLC, a company registered in the United Arab Emirates. According to Forbes, Durov's fortune is estimated at £12.4 billion.
