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1⃣ Tell me about your main projects, @durovleaks and @adurovleaks. How did they start and why?
@durovleaks isn't actually my project — I'm only an admin there. It was created to post some of the most interesting information about Telegram, the Durov brothers, and people around them. @adurovleaks is basically my own spin-off of @durovleaks, with less censorship. It's a place where I can express my own opinions more freely and sometimes post more provocative stuff. 🍆
2⃣ You’ve leaked a huge amount of information about Durov, his family, some members of the Telegram staff, and internal features of the app. How did you gain access to all this information?
A lot of it comes from researching and reverse-engineering publicly accessible content and Telegram itself — for example, projects like @tgcrawl. For some other things, I also had several people with internal knowledge who sent me information over time.
3⃣ Have you ever received strikes on your channels or limitations on your account after major leaks, such as revealing addresses or private chats?
Yes. I received a strike once after publishing personal information related to Durov's family. Looking back, I regret publishing information about people close to him who had nothing to do with Telegram itself. Those were probably some of the biggest mistakes I made. I was much younger at the time and didn't fully understand the consequences of exposing someone's personal information. I think there should be a clear line between someone's professional activity and their family.
4⃣ You’re now a veteran of Telegram. What discovery or experience has surprised you the most overall, and why?
Probably realizing how real and sometimes surprisingly simple certain bugs can be. A lot of vulnerabilities can be fixed if they are reported properly, but unfortunately, effectively reporting unusual or complicated issues isn't equally accessible to everyone. In some cases, it helps a lot to know someone inside Telegram who can make sure the report reaches the right people.
5⃣ Is there anything you still haven’t published because it was too personal or because it went against your ethics?
Yes. There were definitely things I decided not to publish because, after thinking about them more carefully, I felt they crossed a line or were simply too personal. I don't remember every specific example today, but over time my attitude toward this kind of information has changed quite a lot.
6⃣ What do you think about Pavel Durov and the way he has been managing Telegram lately? Many recent updates focus on gifts, the introduction of advertising, and a UI design that has been increasingly debated between “liquid glass” and Android looking more and more like a copy of iOS.
I think Pavel managed Telegram very well for many years, especially if we put aside things like moderation, reports, and user support. Personally, I like things such as Gifts, collectible numbers, Premium, and other monetization features. Telegram needs sustainable ways to make money, and I think these features are much better than relying entirely on traditional advertising. I still think Telegram is being managed well today, but it feels less transparent than before. There are strange bans, moderation decisions, abuse-related controversies, employee stories, and various internal dramas that sometimes raise questions. As for the design, I actually like the iOS-style "Liquid Glass" direction. I haven't used the native Telegram Android app enough recently to give a strong opinion about it. What I do think both platforms still need is better optimization. Telegram has definitely not been very kind to my iPhone battery over the years. :)