The French authorities gave citizenship to Pavel Durov, follows from the decree of August 23, published on the French government website. The Telegram channel Ateo Breaking drew attention to the document.

The document does not specify whether it is about the founder of the social network VKontakte and the Telegram messenger, but the date and place of birth in the document coincide with the data of the billionaire - October 10, 1984, Leningrad.

RBC sent a request to the Telegram press service.

In 2014, Durov said that he was not going to live and work in Russia. He explained his decision to leave the country in the text "Seven Reasons Not to Return". Among them, according to the entrepreneur, are the absence of honest and independent courts and "an abundance of contradicting laws."

In 2013, the founder of Telegram received the citizenship of the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis, donating $ 250 thousand to one of the country's enterprises. Several years later, Durov said that he had never been to a Caribbean state, and a passport of this country can be obtained without leaving Europe. Citizenship in Saint Kitts and Nevis allows you to enter the EU and the UK without a visa, Durov noted.

In 2017, the founder of Telegram announced that he had settled in Dubai. He explained his decision by the absence of taxes and unwillingness to "work for the government 180 days a year." At the same time, Durov admitted that there are difficulties in life in such a conservative state as the United Arab Emirates.

Durov launched Telegram in 2013. In 2014, after leaving the post of CEO of VKontakte, the entrepreneur completely focused on the development of the messenger. In 2016, he first entered the list of the richest Russians according to Forbes magazine, taking 135th place in it. Then the publication estimated Durov's fortune at $ 600 million.

As of April 2021, Durov's fortune amounted to $ 17.2 billion. In the same month, the magazine placed the entrepreneur's children - daughter and son born in 2009 and 2010 - in sixth place in the ranking of Forbes' richest heirs.