Details of a secret meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and famous entrepreneur Pavel Durov in 2013 have recently been revealed to the public. This was reported by Zamin.uz.
According to journalist Nikolay Kononov's book "The Durov Code 2," at that time Putin advised Durov, the founder of the social network "VKontakte," to leave Russia. During a reception held at the Kremlin in 2013 with the participation of major businessmen, Durov was introduced to the president.
However, the conversation was not as sincere as Durov had expected. Putin spoke about illegal content and pornography on the social network, emphasizing that such activities were not suitable for Russia.
He even recommended that Durov run his business in Israel. This meeting became a significant turning point in Durov's life.
He realized the necessity of selling his projects and leaving the country. In 2014, Durov sold his stake in "VKontakte," left Russia, and focused entirely on the Telegram project.
According to Durov, he has not returned to Russia since 2014. However, according to some journalistic investigations, Durov has visited Russia at least 50 times after 2014.
Vladimir Putin, recalling this meeting, says he met Durov only once and considers this meeting as one of the ordinary business meetings. Today, Telegram has become one of the world's most popular messengers.
However, the role that this secret meeting played in the formation of Telegram remains an intriguing question. If Durov had stayed in Russia, would Telegram have achieved the success it has today?
