The arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov in France became a major topic of discussion in Russia last week. The charges against Durov stem from his alleged refusal to hand over Telegram user data to French authorities. Four days after the arrest, he was released on bail and banned from leaving the country.

Russians have reacted to the news with a wave of memes. For example, one viral meme shows a photo of a thoughtful Durov edited onto a poster for the show Emily in Paris, with the title “Pavel in Paris.”

Durov keeps a low profile, rarely giving interviews or making public statements. He recently made headlines, however, when he revealed in a Telegram post that he had been a sperm donor for 15 years, explaining that he thereby wanted to help destigmatize the practice.

By now he had become the biological father of 100 children, he claimed. This revelation, coupled with recent news about his arrest, sparked a flurry of memes on the internet.

“Imagine choosing Pavel Durov at a sperm bank, and then it turns out that your dad STILL went to prison,” wrote a user on X. The post garnered over 8,000 likes.

Durov keeps a low profile, rarely giving interviews or making public statements. He recently made headlines, however, when he revealed in a Telegram post that he had been a sperm donor for 15 years, explaining that he thereby wanted to help destigmatize the practice. By now he had become the biological father of 100 children, he claimed.

Another joke on social media was that Durov’s supposed 100 biological children resembled a small army. A user on X shared a scene from the film World War Z, where thousands of people are storming a huge wall, and captioned it: “Pavel Durov’s kids coming to rescue their father from French prison.”

Russians have also linked Durov’s case to the June 2023 rebellion of the late Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin.

The Telegram channel Bumery smotryat telek (“Boomers watching TV”), which has over 140,000 followers, posted AI-generated pictures of thousands of children along with a voice message recorded by Prigozhin at the start of what he dubbed his “march for justice.” Prigozhin says, “there are 25,000 of us, and we’re going to sort this out.” “Urgent: Pavel Durov’s children have announced a march for justice to Paris,” reads the caption on the meme.

Stereotypes about the French have also inspired some memes. One X user compared the founder of Telegram to a frog, saying they are both “cold-blooded” and “have hundreds of children they do not care about.”

The main thing that they have in common is that “they do not get along with the French.”

Shortly after the arrest, Russia’s largest online retailer, Wildberries, started selling T-shirts with the slogan “Free Durov.” Many of these shirts feature images of frogs being strangled.

The arrest of Durov sparked discussions about freedom of speech in the West. Durov’s refusal to cooperate with any national authorities was seen as a move to protect privacy.

French President Emmanuel Macron’s comment on his X account that “France is deeply committed to freedom of expression and communication, to innovation and to the spirit of entrepreneurship” failed to persuade meme-creators.

An Instagram blogger from Russia shared a reel featuring her sitting on a bench – at first, she looks serious with the caption, “Russians never smile,” then a smile slowly appears on her face, and the caption says, “also Russians when it’s not their country violating freedom of speech for once.”

Many on the internet found it absurd that Durov was supposedly accused of providing a platform for terrorists to communicate.

An X user posted a photo showing two Toyota trucks carrying flag-waving IS militants with the ironic caption, “Toyota Motor Corporation executives have decided never to visit France.”

Instagram bloggers have also poked fun at the fact that Durov was arrested not for what he did but for what users of his platform did. One of the videos shows a distressed Durov with the caption, “how Durov feels when we were the ones sending around forbidden content but he’s the one who gets jailed.” It has garnered nearly two million views and over 100,000 likes.

Telegram is especially popular among Russians and Belarusians concerned about the privacy of their communication, and they worry about their safety if Durov starts cooperating with national authorities. In 2023, nearly half of Russia’s population used the app, according to research cited by the Russian news outlet RBC. In Belarus, where personal communication is closely monitored by the regime, Telegram is also one of the most popular messaging apps. Belarusians risk up to seven years in prison for reposting content from channels that are officially deemed extremist.

A Belarusian Instagram blogger said in a video, “Pavel Durov, please don’t give up. If [the authorities] read my messages, I’ll be in jail longer than you,” which also got many likes and comments from users in Russia.

Some of Durov’s old comments acquired a new meaning and turned into memes after his arrest. In 2021, he responded to the arrest of Group-IB founder Ilya Sachkov — who was accused of treason — by saying, “it’s better to avoid arrests. What’s the point of spending time in prison?”

After Durov was arrested, Skachkov recalled this, posting on his Telegram channel, “it’s amazing how and under what circumstances this remark comes back to Pavel himself three years later.”

Putting aside irony, Skachkov expressed hope that Durov would soon be a free man again.