Mr Durov was born in Russia and lives in Dubai. He holds dual citizenship of the United Arab Emirates and France.
Telegram is especially popular in Russia, Ukraine and former Soviet republics.
The app was banned in Russia in 2018 after Mr Durov previously refused to hand over user data. However, the ban was lifted in 2021.
Telegram is considered one of the major social media platforms, following Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok, and WeChat.
Durov founded Telegram in 2013 and left Russia in 2014 after refusing to comply with government demands to shut down dissident communities on his social media platform, VKontakte. He sold the platform.
On Sunday, the Russian embassy in France said it was trying to reach Mr Durov.
He wrote on Facebook: “Following media reports about the detention of P. Durov, we ask the French authorities to immediately clarify the reasons for the detention, protect Mr. Durov's rights and facilitate consular access.
“As of now, the French authorities are not cooperating on this issue.
“We are in contact with P. Durov's lawyer.”
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova posted to Telegram asking Western human rights NGOs whether they would remain silent about Durov’s arrest after they criticized Russia’s decision in 2018 to “create obstacles” to Telegram’s activities in Russia.
Some Russian officials have condemned the businessman's arrest, saying the case shows the West has double standards when it comes to press freedom and democracy.
X owner Elon Musk, who has faced widespread criticism for hosting and censoring material on his social media sites, has posted repeatedly about the situation. He tagged one post with the hashtag #freepavel, and another said, “Perspective: It’s 2030 in Europe and you’re being executed for liking a meme.”
Telegram allows groups of up to 200,000 members, which critics say allows misinformation to spread more quickly and makes it easier for users to share conspiracy theories, neo-Nazis, pedophiles, and terrorist content.
In the UK, the app has come under fire for hosting far-right channels that played a key role in organising violent riots in several British cities earlier this month.
Cybersecurity experts say that while Telegram has removed some groups, its overall system for censoring extremist and illegal content is significantly weaker than that of other social media companies or messaging apps.
