Pavel Durov offered to buy jewelry stolen from the Louvre (10 photos)

The businessman said he was willing to make a deal with the criminals, but afterward he would like to donate the valuables to an art museum in Abu Dhabi for safekeeping. They don't steal there.





Telegram founder Pavel Durov has once again found himself in the spotlight after the high-profile Louvre heist. On the social media platform X, he stated that he would be happy to buy back the stolen jewelry and donate it to the museum in Abu Dhabi. According to the businessman, no one steals anything from this museum, which he called a symbol of stability and security.

Earlier, Durov said he was not surprised by the news of the crime, calling the incident a reflection of the "decline of modern France." He accused the French authorities of distracting society with "imaginary threats" instead of addressing real problems.



His ironic remark sparked a lively discussion on social media, and one user jokingly suggested that Durov could have committed the theft, to which he responded with his famous phrase about being willing to buy back the jewelry.





According to the Parisian newspaper Parisien, the robbery took place on the morning of October 19: four thieves, two of whom broke into the museum, removed a window pane with a grinder, broke into the display cases of the Apollo Gallery, and stole eight pieces of jewelry belonging to French empresses. They fled the scene on scooters. Police are not ruling out the possibility that the perpetrators were foreigners. The daring robbery took only a few minutes and was captured on video.



According to the latest information, the lift used by the thieves to reach the top was stolen. After searching the surrounding area, police discovered the scooter used by the thieves to escape the Louvre, along with the abandoned gauntlet. Near the museum, Queen Victoria's crown was found—the only surviving crown from the Second Empire (1852-1870). For some reason, the thieves abandoned it (or lost it in their haste). The rarity was damaged and is now in the hands of restorers.



The Crown of Empress Eugénie

The Louvre has announced the list of stolen treasures:

— A tiara, necklace, and earrings from the sapphire suite of Queen Marie Amalia and Hortense de Beauharnais. The necklace is made of eight sapphires and 631 diamonds, and the tiara is adorned with 24 sapphires and 1,083 diamonds.



— A necklace and a pair of earrings from the Empress Marie-Louise's emerald suite. The emeralds were a gift from Napoleon to his second wife, the Austrian Archduchess Marie-Louise, on their wedding day in 1810.



Necklace and earrings from the Empress Marie-Louise's Emerald Suite

After the death of Marie-Louise, the jewelry suite passed to the Tuscan branch of the Habsburgs;





Large bow on Empress Eugénie's bodice

— A pearl and diamond tiara, a rocaille brooch, and a large diamond bow for Empress Eugénie's corsage.



The Empress Eugénie's Diadem

The diadem contained nearly 2,000 diamonds from the jewels of Charles X and Louis XVIII.

French police are currently investigating two main theories: a contract robbery and money laundering. Foreign interference is also being considered, but it is "not a priority," said Paris prosecutor Laura Becco.