Kremlin criticizes arrest of Telegram founder in France — RT Russia & Former Soviet Union

Dmitry Peskov joked that Paris could use the same grounds to arrest the CEOs of Renault or Citroën, since terrorists use cars

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has questioned the French authorities’ motives for arresting Telegram CEO Pavel Durov, saying it is absurd for French authorities to hold him accountable for crimes committed through his network.

The Russian tech entrepreneur was arrested at Paris-Le Bourget airport last week and has since been charged with multiple offences, including complicity in “managing an online platform” are used by criminal gangs to carry out illegal activities and refuse to cooperate with investigators.

In a conversation with Russian journalist Pavel Zarubin on Saturday, Peskov acknowledged that Russian authorities had previously “to ask” for the tech billionaire, but stressed that Moscow never tried to arrest him.

“Terrorists do indeed use the Telegram network. But terrorists also use cars. Why don’t they arrest the CEOs of Renault or Citroën?” the Kremlin spokesman said when asked to comment on Durov’s arrest and whether he had a message for him. “European colleagues.”

Pavel Durov, born in St. Petersburg and a citizen of Russia, France, the United Arab Emirates and Saint Kitts and Nevis, formally left his home country in 2014 after police accused him of refusing to give investigators access to the communications of terrorism suspects. The dispute was settled in 2020 when Russia’s telecom regulator announced that there were no further problems with Telegram.

In an interview with American journalist Tucker Carlson in April, Durov claimed that he had consistently refused to provide user data to any authorities, including US intelligence agencies, or to install a surveillance service. “back door” in the app, which has nearly a billion monthly users.

The Russian billionaire’s arrest sparked outrage around the world, with prominent figures including X (formerly Twitter) owner Elon Musk and Silicon Valley investor David Sacks accusing French authorities of attacking freedom of expression.