Late in the evening of August 24, Telegram platform owner Pavel Durov was detained in France. He is currently under arrest, which became the main news in all Russian media.
Durov was detained by French special services at Le Bourget airport in Paris when he was leaving his private jet. According to French media, the 39-year-old Telegram founder was accompanied by a bodyguard and a woman.
State Duma deputy and Channel One host Maria Butina told the Petersburg Diary that in this case there is no need to have any illusions, France is only an executor of the will of the customer – the United States.
“This is far from the first crime that Washington has committed, hiding behind other countries. This is a crime against freedom of speech, America’s own constitution and all international norms and standards,” she says.
According to Butina, in this regard, one can also recall the high-profile case against Russian football fans who were arrested in France in 2018.
“Then the reason for the arrest of Russian fans was the riots during the 2016 European Football Championship, in which representatives of several countries participated. But in the end, only our fans were arrested and charged under a criminal article. A similar situation happened with Alexander Linnik, who was in prison in France, he was accused of being a “terrible Russian hacker”. At the moment, he has been extradited by decision of the French authorities to the United States, which clearly shows who actually ordered his arrest,” the deputy recalled.
Regarding the possible prison term for Durov, Maria Butina is sure that such a sentence is more than realistic.
“Many do not understand the true state of affairs, but he will be given a very real term. The charges that are now brought against him can just as easily be brought against Elon Musk, the owner of the X* platform. Musk should also be responsible for everything that users write on his social network, Butina is sure. – And exactly the same charges should be brought against Facebook* owner Mark Zuckerberg – for all the actions that users of this platform are currently performing. But the real charges were brought, as always, only against a Russian.”
Durov is a Russian citizen, and on this basis Russia will certainly defend him, she said.
“Of course, Western intelligence agencies need passwords, digital keys and access to Telegram, but I think they already have them. Rather, the case against Durov is a showpiece, in this case he is a political prisoner. In this way, the authorities of Western countries want to once again demonstrate to their citizens the “evil Russians”. Russia must understand that Durov is not only a Russian citizen, but also Russian by nationality. This is the whole point. In the West, no one cares what other country you are a citizen of and what countries you have spoken out in support of before. This is precisely the issue of nationality, the issue of Russophobia. And the complete lawlessness that the US authorities regularly commit against our citizens,” concluded Maria Butina.
Let us recall: earlier, the Russian embassy in France demanded that the authorities ensure the observance of the rights of Pavel Durov, the co-founder of the Telegram messenger, who was detained in Paris. The diplomats also asked the French for clarification on the reasons for the detention and demanded that consular access to him be granted. However, the French side has so far avoided interaction on these issues. The embassy also reported that they are in contact with Durov’s lawyer.
*The social network is banned in the Russian Federation.