Telegram CEO Pavel Durov arrest: Russia-France ties hit new low, Moscow says

French officials have accused Russia of trying to destabilise it ahead of the Paris Olympics in response to its aggressive stance on the Ukraine war – claims Russia has denied. [File]
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Relations between Moscow and Paris have reached an all-time low After the arrest of Russian-origin Telegram boss Pavel DurovRussian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday that the tech billionaire’s detention had been extended until Wednesday.

French prosecutors said on Monday that Durov, who has French and Russian citizenship, was arrested near Paris over the weekend as part of an investigation into crimes related to images of child sexual abuse, drug trafficking and fraudulent transactions on the platform.

It is still unclear whether he was aware of the threat of arrest in France. Durov’s French lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Lavrov said on Tuesday that Durov’s arrest had brought Moscow-Paris relations to their lowest point, capping months of deteriorating ties between the two countries.

French officials have accused Russia of attempting to destabilise their country ahead of the Paris Olympics because of its aggressive stance on the Ukraine war – although Russia has denied these claims.

Durov’s detention was extended by 48 hours late Monday, a spokesman for the Paris prosecutor’s office said Tuesday. After that, prosecutors will have to either charge him or release him. If he is charged, according to French law, his flight risk status is a factor that judges must include in their assessment of possible pretrial detention.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in a conference call on Tuesday that Russia is ready to provide all necessary assistance to Durov due to his Russian citizenship, but his French citizenship complicates the situation. Durov also holds a UAE passport.

“These accusations are indeed very serious,” Peskov said. “They require no less serious evidence base. Otherwise, this would be a direct attempt to restrict freedom of communication.”

Debate on freedom of expression

Durov’s arrest has sparked debate about the limits of freedom of expression online, with X-boss Elon Musk saying the right to free speech was under attack in Europe. It also underscores a movement by governments around the world to tighten scrutiny over illegal activities that thrive on some platforms.

The Brazilian Supreme Court briefly suspended Telegram nationwide in 2022 for failure to comply with judicial orders.

With close to 1 billion users, Telegram is particularly influential in Russia, Ukraine and the republics of the former Soviet Union. It presents itself as a haven for free speech, but it is also widely used by far-right, anti-vax and conspiracy movements, as well as political dissidents.

The platform has become crucial to battlefield communications during the war in Ukraine and is used by governments and troops on both sides of the war to share war-related news and propaganda.

Vyacheslav Volodin, chairman of the State Duma, the lower house of Russia’s parliament, had earlier said without providing any evidence that the United States through France was attempting to take control of Telegram.

“Telegram is one of the few and at the same time the largest Internet platforms that has no influence from the United States,” Volodin said in a post.

“On the eve of the US presidential election, it is important for (President Joe) Biden to take control of Telegram.”

The White House has not yet commented on Durov’s arrest.

French President Emmanuel Macron, who is known to be an avid user of the app, has said the arrest was “in no way a political decision”.

Russia has previously tried to block Telegram but was unsuccessful, and has fined the company several times for failing to remove illegal content.