Remains in custody

Russia suspects USA behind Durov’s arrest

The 39-year-old Telegram CEO Durow was arrested on Saturday shortly after landing in France.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/AP/Tatan Syuflana, APA/AFP/Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV)

The founder and head of the messaging service Telegram, Pavel Durov, who was arrested in France, will not be released for the time being. The Russian-born man will remain in police custody for up to 48 hours as part of the investigation into allegations of cybercrime, the Paris public prosecutor's office announced on Tuesday. 

The Russian government stated that the allegations against Durov were indeed very serious. "They require no less serious evidence," emphasized Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. "Otherwise they represent a direct attempt to restrict freedom of communication." Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that relations between Russia and France had reached a low point.

According to the Kremlin spokesman, Durov's detention could also be seen as an attempt at intimidation and cast doubt on French President Emmanuel Macron's claim that there was no political motive. Russia will provide Durov with all necessary support in view of his Russian citizenship. However, his French citizenship complicates the situation.

Russia blames the USA
A high-ranking ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Washington was behind the arrest of the head of the messaging service, which plays a key role in communicating the war in Ukraine.

Vyacheslav Volodin, the chairman of the Russian State Duma, said the arrest was made without providing evidence and was rather an attempt by the US and France to gain control over Telegram. "Telegram is one of the few and largest internet platforms over which the US has no influence," said Volodin. "On the eve of the US presidential election, it is important for (President Joe) Biden to get Telegram under control."

Macron: "Not a political decision"
The White House has not commented on Durov's arrest. French President Macron said that the arrest was "in no way a political decision". According to the French public prosecutor's office, it is the result of investigations in connection with the alleged distribution of child pornography via the internet service, among other things. It is also investigating suspicions of illegal transactions and fraud in the app as well as the refusal to pass on information to the authorities.