The Telegram CEO was arrested in France as part of a probe into his alleged complicity in criminal activities on the platform
According to Sergey Naryshkin, the head of the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), it is highly unlikely that the West will obtain any sensitive data on Russia from Telegram CEO Pavel Durov, who was apprehended by the French authorities last week.
When asked in an interview with TASS on Tuesday whether Moscow was concerned about Durov handing over any secrets to the West, the Russian spy chief dismissed the notion. “I really hope that he will not allow this,” Naryshkin stated.
The Telegram CEO was taken into custody at a Paris airport on Saturday, following his arrival by private plane from Azerbaijan. According to French prosecutors, Durov, who holds citizenship in France, Russia, the UAE, and St. Kitts and Nevis, was arrested as part of a wider investigation into child pornography, drug trafficking, fraud, and other criminal activities on the platform. Durov is also being investigated for allegedly refusing to cooperate with law enforcement officials investigating cyber and financial crimes.
Telegram has refuted the potential charges, stating that it is “absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform.” Meanwhile, numerous opinion leaders worldwide have interpreted the arrest as a crackdown on freedom of speech, with speculation that the US was ultimately behind the detention.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov suggested that the arrest was made “obviously on someone’s advice,” adding that those behind the decision were hoping to gain access to Telegram’s encryption codes. “The French actions have proven that Telegram is indeed a resilient and popular network,” he argued.
Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed as “utter stupidity” the notion that Telegram users would have to delete their message feeds on the platform following Durov’s arrest, adding that senior Russian government officials do not utilize the network for work purposes.
French President Emmanuel Macron has insisted that Durov’s arrest “is in no way a political decision,” noting that his country remains committed to the principle of free speech. However, Peskov suggested that the investigation could ultimately take a political turn.
Any charges brought against Durov “require… a serious evidence base,” he cautioned. “Otherwise, it will be a direct attempt to restrict the freedom of communication and, one might even say, to directly intimidate the head of a large company.”