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Radio France Internationale
Radio France Internationale
World
RFI

Who is Pavel Durov, the enigmatic French-Russian boss of Telegram?

Founder and CEO of Telegram Pavel Durov delivers a keynote speech during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, on 23 February 2016. © REUTERS - Albert Gea

Pavel Durov, CEO of messaging service Telegram, is a tech titan known for his fierce defence of privacy and free speech. Recently released from French police custody after four days of questioning over Telegram's alleged misuse, Russian-born Durov – a naturalised French citizen known as "Paul Du Rove" in France – remains a figure of intrigue.

Born in Leningrad – now St Petersburg – in 1984, Durov’s early life was marked by a move for his father's work to Italy, where he and his older brother Nikolai excelled academically.

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