Maybe I’m just uncreative, but I can’t think of a single explanation for this without raising more questions in the process.

An explanation for the trips: “he was just trying to negotiate keeping Telegram in Russia”

The new questions:

• If he knows Russia is going to crack down on free speech, why would he want to store easily accessible private message data there?
• What would he need to give up to appease Putin - or did he just succeed without making any concessions?

Sorry to double reply, but I realize I buried the more damning stuff.

Durov himself says:

[Unblocking Telegram] could have a positive impact on innovative development and national security of the country.

National security?! What kind of language is that?

And

“I travel to places I am sure are in line with our values and what we do. I don’t visit major geopolitical powers or other countries - like China, Russia, or even the United States,” Durov explained his personal security principles in an interview with Carlson.

So he was just lying then.

Unless there’s some egregious translation error in this story, this is all damning stuff. It’s not unannounced, it’s definitively deceptive. You don’t want the man who promises to keep your data safe to be a known liar.