Russian Telegram CEO Pavel Durov is currently facing charges in France due to his refusal to moderate his platform according to Western demands, as stated by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Durov was arrested upon landing in Paris in late August and has been charged with various offenses including complicity in administering an online platform used by criminal groups for illicit activities, and refusing cooperation with investigators. With French, UAE, and Saint Kitts and Nevis citizenship, the Russian tech entrepreneur posted €5 million ($5.55 million) bail last week and is currently prohibited from leaving the country as his case proceeds.
During a meeting at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations with students and educators, Lavrov posited that Durov’s persecution is due to him being “too free.” The Telegram CEO was said to have been slow or unresponsive to Western advice about the so-called moderation of his platform. Lavrov emphasized that tech entrepreneurs like Durov are not the only ones under pressure from Washington and its allies, noting how Facebook and Instagram owner Mark Zuckerberg had previously been summoned to the US Senate and agreed to cooperate with authorities.
Lavrov equated Western actions against Durov to their tactics involving the abuse of globalization. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov remarked that while Russia has had its disagreements with Durov, it never attempted an arrest like Paris did. Holding Durov accountable for crimes committed using his app is akin to arresting Renault or Citroen’s CEO because terrorists use cars, Peskov argued.
Durov, who was born in St. Petersburg, officially left Russia in 2014 when law enforcement accused him of refusing access to the communications of terrorism suspects. The dispute was eventually settled in 2020 when the Russian telecoms regulator announced no further issues with Telegram. In an interview with American journalist Tucker Carlson, Durov maintained that he has refused user data provision to any authorities, including US intelligence services, and declined installing a surveillance backdoor into the app which has nearly one billion monthly users.