Pavel Durov
Russian watchers, or even just rumours, focus a lot of attention on cryptocurrencies…
As everyone knows by now, Pavel Durov, co-inventor of the Telegram platform with his brother Nikolai, already arrested in France and facing 12 charges, has been living in the United Arab Emirates since 2014, meaning that when he decided to leave Russia.
Durov obtained Emirati citizenship and it should be noted that the Emirati government strongly urged the French authorities to allow all consular assistance to Durov. Telegram’s growth started from the Emirates, reaching almost a billion users. It was there that the extraordinary wealth (Forbes estimates it at over $15 billion) of the young Russian entrepreneur was accumulated.
And it is in Dubai that Durov has placed his residence and company headquarters for ten years now. In that, especially after 2022 and the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine, it has become a real financial and commercial center for Russia with a record number of sanctions.
Therefore it is inevitable to try to feel what the atmosphere is like in Dubai, where Durov is at home and from where he manages Telegram. ” Everybody here is amazed ,” says one of our sources (anonymity requested, of course), who boasts some familiarity with Durovian matters, “and for a long list of reasons. It’s so strange that Durov could make a mistake so sensational, that is, to go to a Europe and a France that are clearly hostile to him.
But Durov certainly wasn’t a fan of Vladimir Putin and vice versa: It doesn’t look like Russian diplomacy is making much of an effort to get him out of trouble. The idea that somehow one sacrifices oneself for some perhaps dubious “colleagues”…
“ Of course, it was just to say how concerned the business community in Dubai is by the current events. Durov, moreover, has always been very careful to keep a low profile, to appear very discreet and reserved. Even compared to the wave of Russians who arrived here starting in 2022.
Everything has arrived in Dubai: the honest and the pirate, the ambitious beginner and the expert navigator, the Putin loyalist and the adversary. To say what a strange and unstable mixture this is: there are rumors that in the early days of the “Russian occupation” of the Emirates, there were also some accounts among the Russians, who came here and probably found themselves in the restaurant.
The Emirati authorities immediately suppressed some ambitions, but in any case Durov was always very careful not to get involved in anything suspicious. The question many ask here is different… “.
-And this is it?
How did Durov accumulate such a fortune? Telegram does not offer ads or premium accounts .”
-And the answer is?
” No one knows this .”
Russian observers, or even just rumors, focus a lot of attention on cryptocurrencies.
” Look, I know for sure that recently Pavel and Nikolaj were working hard to improve the secret chat function and strengthen privacy in Telegram and on the servers. This is one of the reasons why cryptocurrency masters prefer Telegram, combined with the fact that from a PC with Telegram you can manage many users and many sub-channels. It is also possible to have a Telegram account without having a phone number or IP address. And finally, Telegram always works, statistically it is probably the social network with the least number of interruptions or services. And for all these reasons it is very popular not only with those who deal with cryptocurrencies, but also with the whole world around it, from lawyers to investigators .
Already in the “Durov” case, the mysterious woman has also appeared, the secretary whom some suspect as a secret agent…
” Everything is possible, Durov himself had denounced some time ago, the attempt to “buy” one of his engineers to open a back door in the construction site and let the FBI in to eavesdrop. But, knowing Durov, it seems impossible for him to allow himself to be deceived like this .
-And what can you tell me about your brother Nikolai?
Well , if Pavel is almost obsessive about his privacy, Nikolaj is a fool, someone who probably has a hard time leaving the house. But be careful: if Pavel is the first person known to the general public, Nikolai is the absolute idol of those who understand information technology, especially those who understand a lot about it and perhaps tend to use the Internet in a, let’s say, unconventional way. In the world of programmers and hackers, Nikolai is famous, not Pavel .
-As a conclusion?
” In conclusion, this whole story remains a great mystery. Even in detail. Durov has a personal jet, but usually prefers to rent planes from time to time. Instead he not only went to Paris, he went there in his personal jet, obviously registered by the secret services of half the world. Well… “. / Adapted “Pamphlet” from “Inside Over”
