The Kremlin has issued a warning to France, urging it not to transform the criminal case against Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram, into an act of "political persecution." The warning comes after Durov's surprise arrest in Paris earlier this week, which Russia has characterized as politically motivated.
Durov, who holds both Russian and French citizenship, has been charged in France with several counts related to his failure to curb extremist and illegal content on the widely-used social media platform Telegram. Despite the charges, Russian officials have expressed concern over the potential for political bias in the proceedings.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov emphasized Russia's stance on the matter, stating, "The main thing is for what is happening in France not to run into political persecution. Of course, we consider him a Russian citizen and as much as possible, we will be ready to provide assistance."
Durov was granted conditional release against a bail of five million euros, with the conditions that he must report to a police station twice a week and remain in France. Despite the Kremlin's concerns, French President Emmanuel Macron has denied that Durov's arrest was politically motivated.
Telegram remains one of the most popular messaging apps in Russia, and Durov's arrest has prompted a swift defense from Russian officials, who continue to monitor the case closely.
