Russia issues warning to France over ‘political persecution’ of Telegram founder
The Kremlin warned France on Thursday not to transform the criminal case against Telegram founder Pavel Durov into “political persecution.”
Russia, which has led an unprecedented crackdown on political opponents during its Ukraine offensive, has characterized Pavel Durov’s surprise arrest in Paris earlier this week as politically motivated.
France has charged the Russian-born Durov—who also holds French citizenship—on several counts related to failing to curb extremist and illegal content on the popular social media platform.
“The main thing is for what is happening in France not to turn into political persecution,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
“Of course, we consider him a Russian citizen, and we are ready to provide as much assistance as possible,” he added.
“We will be watching what happens next.”
Durov was granted conditional release on a bail of five million euros and must report to a police station twice a week, as well as remain in France, according to French prosecutors.
Telegram is one of Russia’s most popular messaging apps.
Russian officials have rushed to defend Durov since his arrest last weekend at a Paris airport.
Proofreading by Uchechi Ojo, Sub-editor at Neptune Prime.
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