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France extends detention of Telegram founder, Russia issues warning

Bao Xuelin

The extended detention of Pavel Durov, founder and CEO of the social media platform Telegram, in France has attracted attention. Russia issued a series of warnings on the 27th, warning France not to attempt to threaten Durov, saying that the incident has brought Russian-French relations to the "lowest point."

French prosecutors announced on the 27th that Durov's detention period would be extended by 48 hours from the evening of the 26th to the 28th. On the same day, Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov told reporters that the French prosecutors' accusations against Durov were "indeed very serious" and that France must provide solid evidence, otherwise it would be an attempt to directly restrict freedom of speech.

French President Emmanuel Macron denied a day earlier that Durov's arrest was politically motivated, saying it was part of an investigation.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on the 27th that Durov's arrest has brought Russian-French relations to the "lowest point."

Vyacheslav Volodin, chairman of the Russian State Duma (lower house of parliament), accused the United States of being behind the scenes and trying to use France to control the Telegram platform. Volodin said: "Telegram is one of the few large social media platforms that is not influenced by the United States...On the eve of the US presidential election, controlling Telegram is crucial for US President Joseph Biden." The White House has not yet responded to Volodin's statement.

Durov arrived in France from Azerbaijan on a private plane on the evening of the 24th and was arrested at Le Bourget Airport in the suburbs of Paris. He was charged with 12 counts, accused of not taking measures to curb fraud, drug trafficking, organized crime, child pornography, and promotion of terrorism on the Telegram platform. If convicted, Durov could face up to 20 years in prison.