How Telegram’s founder went from Russia’s Mark Zuckerberg to wanted man

Durov, Telegram’s founder, in San Francisco on Dec 2, 2014. Durov’s anti-establishment streak helped him create one of the world’s biggest online platforms, which emphasises free speech. It also put a target on his back. — The New York Times

More than a decade ago, when Russia pushed Pavel Durov to shut down the pages of opposition politicians on a Facebook-like site he had created, the tech entrepreneur responded online by posting a cheeky picture of a hoodie-wearing dog with its tongue out.

“Official response to the intelligence services to the request to block groups,” he wrote unapologetically.