Russia on Tuesday warned France over the detention of Pavel Durov, founder and CEO of messaging app Telegram, suggesting the arrest may be politically motivated.
The Paris prosecutor’s office issued an arrest warrant for Durov on Saturday in connection with an investigation opened on July 8 into organized crime, drug trafficking, fraud and the distribution of indecent images of minors on the platform.
According to Reuters and Russian state news agency TASS, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, in a call with reporters on Tuesday, called on the French government to provide evidence to support the allegations against Durov.
“The charges are indeed serious. The charges require equally serious evidence, otherwise it will be an attempt to directly restrict freedom of communication,” Peskov told reporters, according to comments translated by Reuters.
Peskov suggested that Durov’s arrest could be seen as both a restriction on freedom of speech and an act of intimidation if France could not provide solid evidence of his guilt, according to Reuters and TASS news agencies.
Though born in Russia, Durov holds French and United Arab Emirates citizenship, but Peskov suggested Russia still considers him a citizen and is ready to support him with any help he needs, though he acknowledged the situation is complicated.
Tuesday, United Arab Emirates It said in a statement The Russian government called on French authorities to provide Durov with “urgent” diplomatic assistance and said it was “closely monitoring the case.”
Following Durov’s arrest, French President Emmanuel Macron said in a post on X on Monday that the decision to detain him was not a political move but part of an independent investigation, and that France was “deeply committed” to freedom of speech.
Durov, 39, is one of Russia’s most prominent tech billionaires. He founded Telegram in 2013 and has marketed it as an uncensored, neutral platform accessible to people from all walks of life and all beliefs.
Durov’s net worth is estimated to be around $15.5 billion. According to ForbesThis makes him the 121st richest person in the world.
Russia blocked access to Telegram in 2018 and fined the company multiple times for failing to remove allegedly illegal content. Access to Telegram was restored in Russia in 2020, sparking speculation that Telegram may have ties to the Russian government. Telegram denies it..
Social media apps, There are 800 million users worldwideteeth Widely used in Russia,and UkraineThe app is used by government officials and military on both sides in the Russia-Ukraine war.
Durov was visiting the Azerbaijani capital of Baku before landing a private jet at France’s Le Bourget airport, according to multiple media reports, though CNBC could not independently verify this.
There was speculation that he was planning to meet with Russian President Putin, but Peskov He told the BBC The meeting never took place.
Russia’s warning to France comes as relations between the two countries have deteriorated amid Putin’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Macron, Ukraine’s main supporter among Western leaders, said in April that “Europe risks dying” without reforms to help Ukraine’s defense.
“The greatest danger to European security is the war in Ukraine,” Macron said in a speech at the time.
— CNBC’s Ying Shan Lee and Natasha Turak contributed to this report.
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