International Courant
Since Pavel Durov, the Russian-born billionaire and founding father of the messaging app Telegram, arrested upon touchdown in Paris on Saturday nightThere was extra hypothesis than reality about his destiny.
A headline in a Russian newspaper summed up the story: “The arrest (or detention) of ‘Russian Zuckerberg’ Pavel Durov is without doubt one of the most vital, but additionally most mysterious, information tales on this planet,” Nezavisimaya Gazeta reported.
WHERE.
Solely, “mysterious” is an understatement.
Why did the French police arrest him? What prices does he face? Does it have something to do along with his current go to to Azerbaijan, the place he met (or didn’t meet) Russian President Vladimir Putin?
For 2 days, reporters have been quoting “sources near the investigation” concerning the violations Pavel Durov could also be accused of (allegedly from complicity in drug trafficking to fraud). Telegram launched an announcement saying Mr. Durov had “nothing to cover.”
On Monday, a French police spokesman instructed Reuters information company that the nationwide cybercrime unit and the nationwide fraud workplace are investigating Durov for alleged crimes dedicated on the Telegram platform.
With out going into particulars, President Emmanuel Macron posted on social media that he had seen “false data” about France following Mr Durov’s arrest, including: “That is under no circumstances a political choice. It’s as much as the judges to resolve.”
In Moscow, the Kremlin is cautious.
“We nonetheless do not know precisely what Durov is accused of,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov instructed reporters on Monday, in his first feedback on Pavel Durov’s arrest.
“We’ve not heard any official statements. Earlier than I may even say something about this, we have to have some readability.”
Readability is one thing that not everybody in Russia wants.
On Monday, state tv’s fundamental political speak present devoted intensive consideration to the difficulty.
“All these accusations in opposition to Durov sound absurd,” a political analyst defined within the studio. “Accusing him of all of the crimes dedicated on his platform is like accusing (French) President Macron of all of the crimes which are occurring in France. It’s the identical logic.”
Russian newspapers additionally jumped on the story. A number of dailies expressed concern that Pavel Durov’s arrest might have critical penalties for Russia.
“This blow to Telegram threatens to develop into a blow to Russia,” Nezavisimaya Gazeta wrote. “With the arrest of Pavel Durov, Western intelligence providers might get hold of the messenger’s encryption keys.”
“Telegram might develop into a software of NATO if Pavel Durov is pressured to obey the French intelligence providers,” Moskovsky Komsomolets stated, including: “Telegram chats comprise an enormous quantity of extraordinarily vital, strategic data.”
In April 2018, Russian authorities started blocking entry to Telegram, however the ban was lifted in 2020. As we speak, the messenger is used not solely by Russian officers, but additionally by the Russian navy, together with troopers combating within the so-called “Particular Navy Operation” (the Russian struggle in Ukraine).
“If Telegram crashes,” Moskovsky Komsomolets requested right this moment, “how will (our military) struggle?”
Within the West, the arrest of Pavel Durov has sparked a debate about freedom of expression.
In Russia too, Presidential Ombudsman for Human Rights Tatyana Moskalkova claimed that “the actual cause for Pavel Durov’s arrest was to shut Telegram, a platform the place you could find out the reality about what is going on on this planet. Everybody who strives for freedom of expression protests in opposition to this.”
Ms Moskalkova made no point out of the Sign messaging app, which Russian authorities blocked entry to earlier this month, or YouTube, entry to which is now severely restricted in Russia. Fb and Instagram are already blocked right here.
And what about these rumors a few assembly between Putin and Durov in Baku earlier in August? Was there one?
“No,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov replied after I requested.
Nevertheless this mysterious story ends, Moscow will use it to bolster considered one of its official narratives: that Russian residents ought to be cautious of the West.
As the favored tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda put it: “For the West, there is no such thing as a such factor as ‘good Russians’ anymore.”
Questions are being raised in Russia over the arrest of Telegram CEO
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