Telegram co-founder Pavel Durov has offered to purchase the jewels stolen from the Louvre in Paris, saying he would donate them to the Louvre Abu Dhabi instead.
His comments followed a daring daylight heist on Sunday in which four thieves made off with eight royal artifacts — including necklaces, earrings, and a tiara once owned by 19th-century French nobility.
“Happy to buy the stolen jewelry and donate it back to the Louvre — I mean, the Louvre Abu Dhabi, of course. No one steals from the Louvre Abu Dhabi,” Durov quipped on X.
The Louvre Abu Dhabi, located on Saadiyat Island, is a joint cultural venture between France and the United Arab Emirates that opened in 2017.
Durov, who now resides in Dubai, said he was “not at all surprised” by the French museum theft, calling it “a sad sign of the decline of a once-great country.” He accused the French government of focusing on “phantom threats” rather than addressing real societal problems.
The Russian-born entrepreneur has previously clashed with French authorities, claiming they pressured him to impose political censorship on Telegram. He was briefly detained last year at a Paris airport over allegations that the platform failed to remove illegal content but was later released on bail.
Not at all surprised by the Louvre heist. It’s another sad sign of the decline of a once great country — where the government has perfected the art of distracting people with phantom threats instead of confronting the real ones.
— Pavel Durov (@durov) October 20, 2025
First need to establish the facts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oFdsgLP8n8
Secondly, need competent cops who know what crime to solve https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6muq1smaVCQ
Jean Charles de Menezes the Brazilian electrician shot on 7/7 was killed by seven shots to the head and one to the shoulder
May have seen something he wasn’t meant to
I haven’t got a lot of time for these frogs
After the French Tests at Mururoa Atoll
Coming over here sh*tting in Our backyard
And the sinking of the Rainbow Warrior
Just a small explosion which killed Fernando Pereira
Th two French Bombers – Dominique Prieur and Alan Marfart
Convicted of the crime and sentenced to ten years in prison never served their full term
Who incidentally were caught by the actions of ‘neighborhood-watch’