Paris (CNN) –– The Kremlin is trying to calm fears that the arrest of Telegram founder Pavel Durov in France could affect the messaging platform, which is extremely popular in Russia and plays a key role in coordinating the war effort in Ukraine.
Russian government spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday that calls for users to delete their sensitive messages on the app, including those from the editor of Russian state news outlet RT, were “absolutely stupid.” .
Peskov added that although the allegations against Durov, who was born in Russia but also has citizenship in France and the United Arab Emirates, were “serious,” French authorities would have to present “equally serious” evidence to support them.
“Otherwise this will be a direct attempt to restrict freedom of communication. We could even say that it will be a direct intimidation of the head of a large company. That is, there will be politics involved, something that Mr. Macron denied yesterday,” said Peskov.
Russia and France, in conflict over the arrest of the founder of Telegram?
The Kremlin’s decision to calm concerns about Telegram’s future security underscores how important the app has become to the Russian military.
French President Emmanuel Macron said Monday that the decision to press charges against Durov “was in no way political,” a rare statement as French leaders often avoid discussing criminal cases to avoid any suggestion that the politics influence judicial matters.
On Monday, Paris prosecutors announced a series of charges against Durov, including accusations that his platform was complicit in helping money launderers, drug traffickers and people who spread child pornography. Prosecutors also accused Durov of refusing to comply with French authorities’ demand to help intercept potentially illicit communications.
After talks with his Yemeni counterpart, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated, without evidence, in a press conference, that “Durov was clearly kidnapped on someone’s advice and is being threatened with a terrible punishment, apparently with “hoping to somehow gain access to encryption codes.”
With around 950 million users, Telegram is one of the most popular messaging applications in the world. Its strong end-to-end encryption, moderation by limiting content, and functionality (which allows users to share larger files, longer videos, and higher quality photos than many of its competitors) have made it extremely popular in both countries. where freedom of speech is restricted such as in war zones like Ukraine, where it has become a vital tool for Ukrainian officials to share military updates and warnings about airstrikes.
“It’s very comfortable and very safe,” Lavrov said.
Those same features also made Telegram a key communications tool for the Russian military and pro-Kremlin bloggers. A popular pro-war Russian blogger with more than 780,000 followers shared a post saying that France’s decision to arrest Durov meant that “in essence, the head of communications for the Russian Armed Forces was detained.”
Another less-followed military blogger posted a photo with the words “by Pavel” on a missile allegedly destined for Ukraine, which on Monday was hit by the largest airstrike since the war began.
Blogger Aleksei Sukonkin said Telegram is “the foundation of military communications,” although Russian government officials publicly dispute that claim.
“Telegram is a powerful alternative to the official information system and, of course, a more efficient source of information; “Telegram is also the main civilian messaging service in Russia, virtually uncontrolled by Western intelligence services, as well as a powerful source of advertising and a platform for personal blogs,” Sukonkin said. “All of this is in danger.”
Telegram’s popularity among pro-Russian military bloggers and the Kremlin’s active support for Durov are somewhat surprising considering that the tech entrepreneur refused to provide Moscow with user data from his previous company, a Facebook-like social network called Vkontakte ( VK).
Durov subsequently resigned as CEO of VK and sold his shares for millions of dollars. Both it and Telegram are now based in Dubai.
–– CNN’s Clare Duffy contributed to this report.
