User:Midrees2900
Pavel Durov
Pavel Valeryevich Durov (Russian: Павел Валерьевич Дуров; born 10 October 1984) is a Russian technology entrepreneur best known as the founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of Telegram, a messaging platform launched in 2013. Durov was born in Russia, where he co-founded the social networking site VKontakte (VK) in 2006. He left VK in 2014 following disputes with the company’s new owners and increasing pressure from Russian authorities, which also led him to leave the country.
In 2013, he and his older brother, Nikolai Durov, developed Telegram and later moved to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, where the company’s headquarters are now located. Durov was listed on Forbes’ billionaires list in 2023, with a net worth of $11.5 billion, largely driven by his ownership of Telegram. As of July 2025, he was the 118th richest person in the world with a net worth of $17.1 billion, according to Forbes. In 2022, he was recognized as the richest expatriate in the United Arab Emirates and, in 2023, Arabian Business named him the most powerful entrepreneur in Dubai.
Durov publicly advocates for internet freedom and often criticizes authorities that attempt to restrict it. Since 2021, he has held citizenship in Russia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, the United Arab Emirates, and France. On 24 August 2024, he was arrested by French police on criminal charges related to Telegram’s alleged lack of content moderation and refusal to cooperate with authorities, which reportedly allowed the spread of criminal activities.
Early life and education
Pavel Durov was born on 10 October 1984 in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg), Russian SFSR, Soviet Union, into a Russian family. His father, Valery Durov, is a professor of philology. Pavel and his older brother Nikolai spent much of their childhood in Turin, Italy, where their father worked.
Between 2002 and 2006, Durov studied English and translation at Saint Petersburg State University, where his father was also employed. His grandfather, Semyon Petrovich Tulyakov, served in the Soviet Red Army during World War II, fighting on the Leningrad Front and receiving multiple honors, including the Order of the Red Star and the Order of the Patriotic War (1st and 2nd degree).
Valery Semenovich Durov, Pavel’s father, is a Doctor of Philological Sciences and has authored numerous academic papers. Since 1992, he has been the head of the Department of Classical Philology at Saint Petersburg State University.
In March 2022, Durov wrote, “On my mom’s side, I trace my family line from Kyiv. Her maiden name is Ukrainian (Ivanenko), and to this day we have many relatives living in Ukraine.
