According to TechFlow, Cointelegraph reported that Telegram CEO Pavel Durov visited Russia many times between 2015 and 2021, and the data was leaked by the Russian Federal Security Service.

Durov left Russia in 2014 and has since claimed not to go to a country that does not align with its values. Russia banned Telegram in 2018 and lifted the ban in 2020. Durov was arrested in France on August 24 for failing to police illegal activity on the platform.