Since Pavel Durov, the Russian-born billionaire and founding father of the Telegram messaging app, was arrested on touchdown in Paris on Saturday night, there was extra hypothesis than substance about his destiny.
The headline in a Russian newspaper summed up the story: “The arrest (or detention) of ‘Russia’s Zuckerberg’, Pavel Durov, is without doubt one of the most vital, however mysterious world information tales,” declared Nezavisimaya Gazeta.
True.
Besides that “mysterious” is a little bit of an understatement.
Why did French police detain him? What prices will he face? Has it something in any respect to do along with his latest go to to Azerbaijan, the place he met (or didn’t meet) Russian President Vladimir Putin?
For 2 days, reporters have quoted “sources near the investigation” in regards to the offences Pavel Durov could also be charged with (allegedly, from complicity in drug-trafficking to fraud). Telegram put out a press release saying Mr Durov had “nothing to cover”.
On Monday night, the Paris prosecutor mentioned in a press release that Mr Durov was being held in custody as a part of a cyber-criminality investigation.
The assertion talked about 12 totally different offences below investigation that it mentioned had been linked to organised crime.
These included illicit transactions, baby pornography, fraud and the refusal to reveal info to authorities, the prosecutor mentioned.
The assertion added that Mr Durov’s time in custody had been prolonged and will now final till Wednesday.
With out going into element, President Emmanuel Macron posted on social media that he had seen “false info” concerning France following Mr Durov’s arrest, and added: “That is under no circumstances a political resolution. It’s as much as the judges to determine.”
In Moscow, the Kremlin is being cautious.
“We nonetheless don’t know what precisely Durov has been accused of,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov advised journalists on Monday, in his first feedback on Pavel Durov’s detention.
“We haven’t heard any official statements. Earlier than I can say something in any respect about this, we’d like some readability.”
Readability just isn’t one thing of which everybody in Russia feels the necessity.
On Monday, state TV’s flagship political discuss present had loads to say on the matter.
“All these accusations in opposition to Durov sound absurd,” one political analyst within the studio declared. “Accusing him of all of the crimes which are dedicated on his platform is like accusing [France’s] President Macron of all of the crimes that occur in France. It’s the identical logic.”
Russian newspapers, too, went large on the story. A number of dailies expressed concern that Pavel Durov’s arrest might have severe penalties for Russia.
“This blow to Telegram threatens to be a blow to Russia,” wrote Nezavisimaya Gazeta. “With Pavel Durov’s arrest, Western intelligence providers might get hold of the messenger’s encryption keys.”
“Telegram would possibly grow to be a device of Nato, if Pavel Durov is compelled to obey the French intelligence providers,” declared Moskovsky Komsomolets, including: “Telegram chats comprise an enormous quantity of vitally vital, strategic info.”
In April 2018, the Russian authorities started blocking entry to Telegram, solely to raise the ban in 2020. Right this moment, not solely do Russian officers use the messenger, however so does the Russian army, together with troopers combating within the so-called “Particular Navy Operation” (Russia’s warfare in Ukraine).
“If Telegram crashes,” Moskovsky Komsomolets requested as we speak, “how is [our army] going to struggle?”
Within the West, Pavel Durov’s detention has sparked a debate about free speech.
In Russia, too, presidential human rights ombudsman Tatyana Moskalkova claimed that “the actual cause for arresting Pavel Durov was to close down Telegram, a platform the place you may uncover the reality about what’s taking place on the earth. Everybody who strives free of charge speech protests this.”
Ms Moskalkova made no point out of the Sign messaging app, to which the Russian authorities blocked entry earlier this month, or YouTube, entry to which has been severely restricted now in Russia. Fb and Instagram have already been blocked right here.
And what of these rumours of a Putin-Durov assembly in Baku earlier in August. Was there one?
“No,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov replied after I requested.
Nevertheless this mysterious story ends, Moscow will use it to strengthen certainly one of its official narratives: that Russian residents ought to watch out for the West.
As the favored tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda put it: “For the West, there isn’t any such factor any extra as ‘good Russians’.”
