MOSCOW
The recent arrest of Pavel Durov, founder and CEO of encrypted messaging app Telegram, by French law enforcement on Saturday evening has sparked heated debate across the world, including in Russian media.
Much of the coverage and analyses in Russia, the country where Durov was born in 1984, share certain parallels, such as the impact that his arrest may have on Moscow’s “special military operation” in Ukraine.
Telegram is widely used by Russian soldiers for communication and exchange of information in Ukraine. Many experts interviewed by Russian newspapers, TV channels, and radio stations worry that Durov’s arrest could compromise crucial information sent via the app.
Besides the military consequences of Western intelligence agencies gaining access to this information, some coverage, such as by the Nezavisimaya Gazeta daily, have also highlighted that the data could also be exploited for political purposes, considering the popularity of Telegram as a source for news and among Russian officials for communication.
The arrest of the app’s CEO has also prompted calls within Russia for authorities to facilitate the development of an alternative messaging system, especially for the army.
Durov was detained at Le Bourget airport in Paris upon his arrival from Azerbaijan. French media outlets have cited the lack of moderation on Telegram and Durov’s alleged refusal to cooperate with law enforcement as the reason for his arrest.
Paris accuses him of being complicit in crimes perpetrated by Telegram users, including drug trafficking, child abuse, and fraud.
Telegram’s user base in Europe has also been raised by EU authorities.
The European Commission’s vice president for values and transparency, Vera Zhurova, has accused Russia of using the platform to spread “misinformation” among Russian-speaking people in the bloc, claiming that the Baltic states, Poland and Bulgaria are among the most vulnerable among member states.
According to the platform’s official data, Telegram has 41 million users as of February 2024, but the actual number of users is estimated to be much higher.
A service with more than 45 million users is considered a very large online platform under European law and must comply with stricter rules under the EU’s Digital Services Act.
According to experts interviewed by the Russian daily Vedomosti, Durov’s arrest will undoubtedly affect the future of the messenger.
There may be more to Durov’s arrest that has not been disclosed, but the formal charges against him are legitimate, Sergey Vodragin, managing partner of the Westside law firm, told the newspaper.
“This includes, on the one hand, Telegram’s independence from state authorities and, on the other hand, an insufficient level of internal self-regulation. This does not mean that there were no other reasons for the arrest, known only to state security services,” he said.
Dmitry Drize, a political commentator for the daily Kommersant, suggested that it could be noteworthy that Durov was detained upon returning from Azerbaijan, a South Caucasus nation that is currently at odds with France.
According to Drize, Durov’s arrest highlighted a wider problem of how to balance security and freedom of speech.
He emphasized that French and American authorities want Durov to provide access to tools that would allow them to control the messenger. If Durov agrees, this would be bad news for Russia, he said.
The Nezavisimaya Gazeta underlined the role of politics in Durov’s arrest, suggesting that this means “much of the fate of the billionaire and his messenger, the number of users of which is approaching a billion, will depend on political agreements.”
In an interview with MK, cybersecurity expert Andrey Masalovich highlighted that Telegram chats contain vast amounts of important strategic information.
He noted that in recent years, Telegram has consistently adhered to the sanctions imposed on Russia, suggesting that Durov might start cooperating with Western intelligence.
Masalovich emphasized the potential dangers for Russia if NATO gains control of the app and called for the development of a specialized messenger for intelligence purposes.
