Russia is concerned that the popular messaging app, which is used by both the Kremlin and its adversaries, may be stopped in response to France’s arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov. This would deprive the country of one of the remaining reliable sources of critical, unfiltered news.
Russia has clamped down on protest and dissent since it began its offensive in Ukraine in February 2022, depriving Russians of access to Western social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and X, the old Twitter, as well as independent news sources.
One of the final strongholds of free expression and uncensored information in this environment is Telegram, which was itself barred for a while by the Kremlin for refusing to work with Russian law enforcement.
Moscow is now concerned about the destiny of the messenger and its inventor, Durov, who was born in Russia. Durov was accused in late August of neglecting to remove unlawful and extremist content off the site.
Despite being freed on bond, he is unable to leave the nation, and France has received a warning from the Kremlin not to convert the case against him “into political persecution.”
The privately operated service has other issues besides Durov’s detention.
Additionally, the European Commission is looking into whether Telegram has more users in the EU than it has disclosed and needs to adhere to stricter regulations as a result.
