Telegram Notes: Mama Durova and Her Inner Circle, Part 2
January 20, 2026
Another dinobaby post. No AI unless it is an image. This dinobaby is not Grandma Moses, just Grandpa Arnold.
This is the second part of my Telegram Notes’ write up about Pavel Durov’s mother. “Mama Albina, Pure Bred Animals, and Some Tricks” gathers thoughts, comments, and hypotheses about what I call a “web of companies.” Imagine. As a professor of “misinformation” and social media, she watched the viral take off of VKontakte. Mama Durova pulled her “cozy group” together. In the circle were her former and second husband, her three sons, and one adopted high-performer whom Nikolai helped. As Pasha rapidly coded VKontakte into a Russian Facebook, his libertarian stance on privacy collided with the Kremlin’s demand for control during the Snow Revolution protests. While Pasha postured as the defiant "GOAT" (the greatest of all time Russian entrepreneur and visionary), she did what mothers do. She orchestrated a "core group" of family insiders—half-brothers and trusted associates—who allegedly routed VK’s revenue through a web of shadow companies like Peering LLC and VKT Rus while using her influence to shield Pasha from Kremlin needs. When the Kremlin moved to silence dissent, Pasha refused to bend, transforming from a golden child into a black sheep. By 2014, he was exiled to run Telegram and create another entrepreneurial winner. Mama’s network remained entrenched in Russia. This briefing uncovers the ultimate family bargain: Did Mama sacrifice her son’s freedom to preserve the lucrative empire she helped build? You can find Part II at this Telegram Notes / Bear Blog page. (Lectures about Telegram are available via Zoom or in person. Write kentmaxwell@proton.me for information. Each lecture attendee receives a free copy of “The Telegram Labyrinth.”
Stephen E Arnold, January 20, 2026
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