Pavel Durov, the Russian billionaire who founded Telegram, was arrested after landing in Paris, causing a lot of confusion and questions. According to BBC, people are wondering why French police detained him and what charges he might face.
There’s speculation it might be linked to his recent visit to Azerbaijan, where some believe he could have met Russian President Putin, though the Kremlin denied this.
As BBC reports, Durov is being held as part of a cybercrime investigation, with charges possibly ranging from drug trafficking to fraud.
The Paris prosecutor mentioned 12 offences, including illicit transactions, child pornography, and not giving information to the authorities. Telegram, the app Durov created, stated that he has “nothing to hide.”
BBC also noted that President Emmanuel Macron responded to the situation, saying France’s decision wasn’t political, leaving it to the judges.
Meanwhile, in Russia, there’s concern that this arrest could harm the country, with fears that Western intelligence might gain access to Telegram’s encryption keys. This is a big deal because, according to BBC, even the Russian military uses Telegram.
Some Russians see this arrest as an attack on free speech, with officials suggesting it’s a move to shut down Telegram, a platform that still shares uncensored news.
The BBC points out that this comes after other apps like Signal and YouTube have faced restrictions in Russia.
Overall, as BBC highlights, the situation is unclear, but it’s being used to push the narrative in Russia that the West is against them, echoing concerns that, to the West, there are no more “good Russians.”
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly9xqnn3v4o