Durov’s conflicts with the Kremlin did not finish with Vkontakte.
Peter Kovalev/TASS by way of Getty Pictures
In 2018, Telegram was banned in Russia after Durov denied the Kremlin entry to person information. In response to the ban, tons of of individuals protested, a few of whom held indicators of Durov illustrated as a saint (pictured above). The app was reinstated in Russia two years later.
Immediately, Telegram is enjoying a serious function within the battle in Ukraine.
Durov vowed in a Telegram put up in March 2022 to guard the info of Ukrainian customers. Durov is of partial Ukrainian descent, in accordance with the put up.
“After I defied [the Kremlin’s] calls for, the stakes had been excessive for me personally,” Durov wrote. “I stand for our customers it doesn’t matter what. Their proper to privateness is sacred.”
Durov additionally launched a cryptocurrency pockets, referred to as Fragment, in 2002. Durov has stated the pockets “took solely 5 weeks and 5 folks together with myself to place collectively.”
Durov stated some $50 million price of usernames had been bought lower than a month after Fragment launched.
