Russian lawmakers responded strongly to the arrest of Telegram founder Pavel Durov in France.

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Russian lawmakers have responded to reports about the arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov in France for not sufficiently moderating criminal activities on his messaging platform.

Durov, a Russia-born billionaire, was detained at Paris-Le Bourget airport upon arriving from Azerbaijan on Saturday evening, as reported by French broadcaster TF1 and news agency AFP.

Vladislav Davankov, the deputy speaker of the state Duma, urged Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov to secure Durov's release, suggesting that the arrest could have political motives and be a means to obtain personal data from Telegram users. “We must not allow this,” he stated on his Telegram channel.

Andrey Klishas, head of Russia's Federation Council Committee on Constitutional Law, criticized France’s actions in a sarcastic post on Telegram, suggesting it was a “fight for freedom of speech and European values.”

Durov had a warrant out for his arrest in France following a preliminary investigation into whether insufficient moderation on Telegram, based in Dubai, had enabled illegal activities such as terrorism, drug trafficking, money laundering, fraud, and child exploitation. He is expected to appear in court on Sunday.

The Russian embassy in France has requested consular access to Durov, although his representatives have not made a formal request, according to Interfax.

A spokesperson for Telegram and Durov declined to comment.

Since its founding in 2013, Telegram has gained prominence as a communication tool for global leaders and has been pivotal in sharing news and organizing during geopolitical crises like the Russia-Ukraine war and the Israel-Hamas conflict. With nearly 1 billion users, it is now one of the most popular messaging apps, rivaling Meta's WhatsApp.

Durov has positioned Telegram as a privacy-focused and censorship-resistant platform, which has led to scrutiny as researchers warn it has become a haven for criminals and hackers offering illicit services without consequences.

His detention is likely to intensify global discussions about how social media and messaging platforms balance free speech with content moderation and whether executives should be held personally responsible for failures in oversight.

The news has sparked immediate backlash from free speech advocates. Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of X and a self-proclaimed free speech absolutist, commented, “It’s 2030 in Europe and you’re being executed for liking a meme.” Musk has had clashes with EU and UK leaders over what they perceive as inadequate moderation on his platform, which authorities and analysts say was used alongside Telegram to coordinate far-right riots in Southport, UK.

Durov, known for his black attire and extreme health practices, co-founded Russia's most popular social network, VKontakte, in St. Petersburg in 2007, earning him the nickname the “Mark Zuckerberg of Russia.”

After refusing to share data of certain Ukrainian VK users with Russia’s security agency, he left Russia in 2014 and sold his company. His fortune in cryptocurrency allowed him to travel and fund Telegram, eventually settling in Dubai, which he considers a “neutral” location. He now holds dual French-Emirati citizenship, and Forbes estimates his net worth at $15.5 billion.

Despite being born in Russia, Durov has maintained that he has severed ties with the country, even as critics claim that the Kremlin may still exert influence over Telegram.

“He thought his biggest problems were in Russia and left... He wanted to be a brilliant ‘citizen of the world,’ living well without a homeland,” former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, now a right-wing commentator, wrote on his Telegram channel. “He miscalculated. To our common enemies, he is still Russian — unpredictable and dangerous.”

In an interview with the Financial Times earlier this year, Durov defended his “hands-off” approach to content moderation, stating that user feedback typically requests not to censor any content.

However, he has occasionally yielded to public pressure, removing Isis-linked groups in 2019 and extremist and white supremacist groups involved in the January 6, 2021, storming of the U.S. Capitol.

Earlier this year in Spain, a court ordered the app blocked over an investigation into the sharing of illegal content, but the ban has since been lifted.

Telegram’s guidelines prohibit terrorist channels and state that it does not allow spam, scams, illegal pornography, or the promotion of violence on publicly viewable channels.