OREANDA-NEWS Telegram founder Pavel Durov has received citizenship of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Forbes reports, citing sources close to Durov and his team.

According to the interlocutors, Durov received UAE citizenship back in February 2021. «Pavel has not traveled to Russia and has not held any assets in this country for eight years. Telegram has no offices or employees in Russia, and the number of users from Russia does not exceed 8%», said an interlocutor close to Telegram. At the same time, Durov did not apply for the deprivation of his Russian citizenship.

Currently, the businessman is simultaneously a citizen of four countries — Russia, the state of Saint Kitts and Nevis, France and the UAE. An interlocutor close to Durov explained that the billionaire uses UAE and French passports for travel and business trips, and the document of Saint Kitts and Nevis was «appropriate» only in the first years after Durov emigrated from Russia. Durov received citizenship of the island state of Saint Kitts and Nevis in 2013, France - in 2021.

Durov topped the rating of Russian businessmen who got rich the most in 2021. According to Forbes calculations, his fortune has increased dramatically due to an increase in the valuation of his main asset. In March 2021, Telegram placed its own bonds for the first time and raised $1 billion on the market. In addition, this year the messenger managed to increase the user base due to failures in the work of other messengers. Telegram's audience has increased by 70 million new users.