Tengrinews.kz – Telegram founder Pavel Durov linked the robbery of the Louvre in Paris to 'the decline of a once-great France' and expressed his willingness to buy back the stolen jewels.
According to Durov, the incident reflects systemic problems in the country and the authorities’ inability to respond to real threats.
“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,” Durov wrote on social network X.
Later, the Telegram founder said he would be happy to purchase the stolen jewelry from the Louvre and donate it to the Louvre Abu Dhabi.
“Happy to buy the stolen jewelry and donate it back to the Louvre. I mean Louvre Abu Dhabi, of course; no one steals from Louvre Abu Dhabi,” he wrote.
It should be recalled that the Louvre robbery took place on the morning of October 19. According to the Paris prosecutor’s office, the stolen items included a necklace and earrings from the collection of Empress Marie-Louise (Napoleon’s second wife), three pieces of jewelry from the collections of Queen Marie Amalie and Dutch Queen Hortense de Beauharnais, as well as several items from the collection of Empress Eugenie.
В сети появилось видео ограбления в Лувре — мужчина, выдавая себя за рабочего, вскрывает витрину в галерее Аполлона, посетители не обращают на это внимания. pic.twitter.com/OOUI1HjNE7
— распад и неуважение (@VictorKvert2008) October 19, 2025
As Interior Minister Laurent Nunez stated, there were three or four robbers who arrived on scooters and used a truck-mounted construction basket to reach the Apollo Gallery, where they broke into two display cases.
It is also worth noting that Telegram’s founder was arrested in France in August 2024. After being charged on six counts, including refusing to provide data in response to official requests, Durov was released on bail. In spring 2025, after obtaining court permission, he left France and returned to the UAE.